Five Metre Radius
by Comic Freaks United
Summary: Rewritten! Zoro and Nami can't get away from one another. Literally. Forced to be within a 5 meter radius of one another 24/7 they are also forced to deal with each others' mountain of flaws.
1. An Unwanted Bond

Haha. Yes I'm still alive. Sorry that I haven't put anything up for so long! Actually, I can't guarentee how long this fic will take to finish since at the moment I'm living for a while in Japan (YES IT IS TRUE) and have to pay for internet at cafes TT3TT SEE HOW LOYAL I AM TO YOU GUYS??

Also, if you are reading this for the 2nd time, I have corrected the spelling mistakes :P Sorry, I hate that in ther fics too. PLEASE tell me if there are more. Thankyou.

But anyway, I'll try not to bore you to tears with my life, so here's the fic you probably clicked here to read:

**Disclaimer: Look guys, if One Piece was mine, the world would be ending. Yeah

* * *

**

Nami stared at the rope tying her to the green-haired member of the Strawhat crew, her face hardly able to contain the disbelief that was now displayed on her face.

"You have got to be kidding me," breathed Zoro, who was wearing a similarly horrified expression as he stared at the furry and rather nervous looking reindeer who was standing between them.

"What if you step out of the 5-meter zone when one of us isn't around?" argued Chopper, putting on his best stern look for the both of them. "If the effect of it is what you two described it to be, then it's a wonder you were able to survive it the first time."

"But--but-I can't stay attached to him for that long!" exclaimed Nami. Her face now changed to a mix of anger and revulsion as she glared at the person now tied to her.

"Well I'm not exactly jumping for joy having to be stuck with you for the next six months," retorted Zoro, not bothering to hide his irritation now. Usually he would have taken all the necessary measure not to stir up an argument with the navigator, but after taking her insults for an entire day, he had decided it wasn't worth it.

Nami fell to her knees at the mention of 'six months' with a muffled groan.

"Six months?" inquired a surprised-looking Robin. She had been watching from her sun bed, even putting down her latest book to see what the commotion was about. "That's quite some perfume, I must say."

"Who the hell buys perfume from a black-goods store?" muttered Zoro, shooting an accusing look at Nami. "What were you even doing in there anyway? I thought you said there was barely anything left of our money supply?"

"It wasn't a black-goods store," huffed Nami, "and I didn't spend any money! It was free, remember?"

"Well, what about those?" he retorted, gesturing to the shopping bags at her feet.

"That I bought with the part of our money I saved for myself!"

"What? You mean like -- all of it?" replied Zoro before receiving a blow to the head which left him lying on the lawn, sprawling in pain. "OW! That hurt you b--"

"It may not have to be six months!" shouted Chopper in an attempt to stop the potential bloodshed about to occur, growing to human form and pushing Nami and Zoro as far away from each other as the rope allowed. "There may be a way to shorten it! At least if I find a counter!" He glanced at their taken aback looks making sure they weren't going to attack each other again before shrinking to normal size.

"We do have a very dependable doctor aboard the ship after all," smiled Robin causing Chopper to go into a fit of happiness all the while shouting insults at the raven-haired archaeologist. "Let's not panic before the situation is clear."

Nami crossed her arms, turning her back on Zoro looking only slightly less angry than before. "Okay, I'm listening," she said. However it came out more aggressive than she intended, causing Chopper to scoot a few inches away from her before he was ready to continue talking again.

"I haven't yet had a chance to examine the perfume itself," began Chopper, glancing frequently in Robin's direction who seemed to be reassuring him that it was safe to continue. "But once I do, I'll be able to see what kind of properties it holds and then hopefully find a cure. Except I'll need a sample of your clothes that I can test so--"

Zoro was already ripping a hole out of his shirt, Nami watching in horror before slowly looking down at her own.

"But these are brand new," she whimpered as she stared at the rather expensive appearing blouse that she had indeed only purchased at the last island.

"Well you can always--" Robin was about to suggest that Nami give in the whole shirt so that the perfume could be extracted and be later returned to her in one piece without any damage being made. However, after Zoro had stormed over to the navigator to rip one of her sleeves off, Robin decided to keep the suggestion to herself.

"Wha--What are you doing?!" cried Nami, trying to prize the sleeve back from him desperately. "Do you know how much that cost?!"

"Would you rather keep the stupid blouse or be stuck together for half a year?" growled Zoro in response, keeping her at bay with a foot while handing the ripped piece to Chopper.

"It may take about a week to get the results," the doctor told them while Zoro wrestled Nami who was once again attempting to punch him, "but I think I'll at least be able to cut the time in half."

Robin had intervened, sprouting hands to separate the swordsman and navigator, at least while Chopper was talking.

"In half?" echoed Nami, suddenly feeling a little bit less inclined to tear Zoro into quarters.

Chopper nodded, a nervous smile wavering on his lips at Nami's apparent lightening of mood.

Zoro in turn gave him an impressed grin, which was enough to send the reindeer into another wiggly happy-dance all the way back to his lab, shouting insulting names at them all the while.

"See?" smiled Robin, returning to her novel once more seeing that most of the hostility between the two had subsided. "It turns out the situation isn't so bad after all. Instead of six months it's only three."

_Only three she says_, Zoro and Nami thought together, once again sliding into depression. They glanced at eachother before immediately turning away. _Three months of hell_...

* * *

**Author note:  
**I EAT BABIES!  
Okay, now that I got your attention, please r&r for me :)  
It keeps the engine running...

Zoro and Nami are stuck together! Yes, I'm cruel :D

I try to make the characters as in character as possible. So if there's things that you think I should change about the characters personalities to make them more in character, please, feel free to tell me.

Not saying I'll change it but I will consider it. :P

Love you all,

BMK


	2. Spilt Milk or Shattered Mug?

YES IM BACK!!!! You thought I was lying, didn't you...? HAHAHA, well you were wrong =)

I enjoy this story too much to give up on it (for now lol)! But after returning and rereading the story...I realized that there were, unfortunately, plot holes forming which seemed to become more and more unavoidable as the story progressed.

SO! I redid it. =_=. Yes. I am incredibly sorry. To all those who enjoyed the old version of "Five Metre Radius" I will keep it posted up. ***head to ground bow*** I HAVE NO EXCUSE!!!

Anyway, PLEASE do me the favour of rereading the story so that you know what's happening again before I post up the next few chapters.

**Disclaimer: Oh and by the way. I am soooooo not the creator of One Piece. I'd like to meet him though...*_***

So, my fellow readers, without any further ado...and breaking the horrible hiatus.....READ ON!!!!

* * *

_4 hours before..._

The mug fell through the air, both faces distorted in horror as they realized what had just happened. They were suddenly diving towards it, both noticing too late that the movement had been simultaneous, unable to avoid the crunch which sounded from the ship's swordsman and navigator as they plummeted into each other.

Even so, it was the light tinkling of fragile shards being crushed together that resonated the loudest in each of their ears. In the blur of panic, Zoro tried to get up, only to discover something heavy was pinning him down. "Hey! Nami-- you're foot is in my--"

Nami, however, had stopped squirming above him, and was now gazing silently somewhere near Zoro's right arm. Her eyes were wide in horror. "My...cup..."

The swordsman's head immediately swung in the direction of Nami's gaze, unable to hide the wince which formed as he saw the object of attention.

The mug lay in total destruction. Its china shards, scattered almost everywhere, pierced into his elbow which he sharply withdrew, pain starting to register again.

Nami's favorite cup. The one which the crew had been warned previously, strictly, numerous times not to break, now smashed to pieces next to _his_ arm.

_Shit_.

"My cup..." The red-haired girl looked shell shocked.

He took a quick glance to the door in order to measure whether an escape was feasible. Although when he felt himself being jerked upright by his collar nose to nose with Nami, the answer became very clear.

Nami glowered at him, eyes like burning coal. "You...broke...it!" Each syllable was venomously forced through gritted teeth.

"Why did you hit me before?!" Zoro growled, finding himself unable to be sympathetic. "You're to blame as well, dumbass! You basically knocked it out of my hands!"

"Because you were trying to drink out of it!" cried Nami. She shook him, breathing heavily as she shouted. "I told you _not to touch it_!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, woman! I was trying to put it in the sink! To be _washed up_!"

"I saw you raising it to you lips!"

"Because I could smell something! It was dirty! That's why I picked it up!"

"Are you trying to say I'm dirty?" challenged Nami, fiercely.

"No! _What_?! What the hell are you--?"

"That's low, even for you!" Nami ranted. She was looking angrier and angrier by the second, but for a moment, a flash of a rarer, subtler emotion passed her features.

Zoro, who had caught it, was suddenly unsure about arguing again, although kept the grimace plastered to his face.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful? I told you! I told you to be careful...!"

He felt the grip on his shirt loosen.

"Why does it always end up like this...?" Nami's face was darkened in anguish as she took a brave glance towards the mug again, before snapping around to Zoro again.

The swordsman sat a little more upright, finding no words to utter in retaliation.

Seemingly out of things to say herself, Nami stood up, not even looking at him as she left. She did, however, care to slam the door behind her, the shock wave making the entire ship shudder with a dangerous creaking noise.

Zoro could hear Franky and Luffy's angry voices from downstairs and then Nami's, angrier still, silence them both. He shifted slowly to his feet, brushing himself off with a scowl. Was there such a thing as a peaceful day around here? With an irritated grunt, he took the broom resting against the wall and began to clear away the evidence which was surely going to earn him a kick from Sanji.

OOOOOOOO

The girl's room had been declared officially off limits after Robin had emerged and explained the situation to the rest of the crew. Usopp seemed to be acting permanently 'dead' (having smeared himself with a bottle of tomato sauce), or at least whenever the navigator walked by, whereas Chopper had decided to keep himself in 'Guard Point' for the day as a safety precaution.

"Why the hell did you have to go and do that for, you green-bastard!!" growled Sanji, swinging a kick at the swordsman who casually dodged. "Do you realise how much that mug meant to her?!"

"He's just grumpy because he was rejected for his afternoon-snack with Robin and Nami,"  
Usopp snuck in from behind.

Sanji aimed another kick, this time at the sharpshooter, who had already ran off to the opposite side of the ship and was pretending to do something useful with some dials he had pulled out of his bag.

Nevertheless, after being rejected from his daily afternoon-tea break with the ship's ladies, Sanji's mood had indeed plummeted and was, in truth, the main reason why he had approached the swordsman.

"Why are _you_ here, Swirly?" muttered Zoro, just loud enough so that the cook could hear the pet-name. He had already taken a fair amount of criticism for the mistake that seemed to be affecting the whole crew, and his patience for any more had all but worn off.

"Why do you think, Weed-Head? I've come to beat some manners into you! Because it's obvious that you _still_ can't treat a lady properly!"

"So, you think you can win against me, Love-Cook?" challenged the swordsman. He pushed his katana from the hilt with a thumb threateningly.

"You think I can't, Marimo?" Sanji answered, his tone equally dangerous.

Franky, who had been securing the wooden swings to the deck (after Luffy and Chopper had managed to fling themselves into the ocean swing and all the previous day) looked up in annoyance. "Could you take it somewhere else? I can't do anything with you clowns bickering in my ear every second of every day!"

The warning went unheard, as the cook and swordsman were already going at each other, causing an impressive amount of damage to the parts of the ship that surrounded them.

With a huge crash, Franky sent them flying overboard. "I SAID, TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE! --Geez, breaking the friggin' ship and everything..." he muttered to himself irritably, returning to his work.

Chopper, who had been fishing with Luffy and Brook, watched blankly as the two plunged into the ocean in front of them, far too accustomed to the occurrence to bother being surprised anymore.

The two sitting beside him hardly even blinked.

"We've all been starting to get on eachother's nerves recently," said Chopper, thoughtfully rather than with concern. He munched on the onigiri which Sanji had served up for them earlier. "How long have we been sailing for now, Luffy...?"

The captain had shoved about a dozen snacks into his mouth at once a second before, although still managed to reply. "Mmm...I don't know...two weeks...maybe...?" He spotted Sanji resurface, followed by Zoro. They seemed to have kept their brawl going on underwater as well, which explained why both seemed so out of breath. "Hey! Sanji! Make some more snacks for us! These're GREAT!"

"It would be lovely to feel soil under my skin again," admitted Brook at the thought of land. "Even though being a skeleton, I don't have skin!! Yohohohoho!" He laughed heartily at his own joke with only Luffy laughing with him.

"Can't wait," Zoro said grumpily as he climbed over the railing, wringing out his dripping shirt with more force than necessary. "Then, I can finally get some peace and quiet around here." He shot a heated glare at the cook and then a scowl up at the girl's room to illustrate his point.

"But, seriously Zoro," Usopp put in, giving up with the dial pretense to join the conversation again, "shouldn't you apologize for the kitchen thing? It _was_ her favourite cup, after all. Besides, if you don't, this will carry on for a year and a half. You won't be the only one who'd suffer" He pulled a face of exasperation at the last few sentences.

"Yeah, go apologize, shitty Grass-Head," Sanji chided. "Do the right thing for once."

"You, shutup."

"If you're just polite, people will do anything for you," Brook suggested cheerfully. "Although every time I ask to see her pantaloons, I'm kicked in the head for some reason... That is still mysterious to me..."

Luffy was roaring with laughter.

"Very mysterious," Usopp replied, in a tone that implied that the fact obviously not very mysterious to him at all.

"Why do I have to apologize for something she helped cause!" growled Zoro stubbornly. "She acts as if she's completely innocent! And I'm supposed to bow down before her and beg for forgiveness— yeah, well that's just not going to happen." He wrestled his shirt on roughly, ignoring the white hot glare from Sanji he could feel piercing the back of his neck. "And I was even trying to do her a favour!"

"Still," Chopper said, sounding almost nervous to add in his opinion. "It _is_ Nami. And it sounds like whatever you did hurt her, so--"

Zoro found the last of his patience was vanishing rapidly. Why couldn't they just agree? "So _what_ if it's Nami? She shouldn't be an exception! I hate having to bend backwards for her stupid plans and money schemes! How is this any different?_ I_ have to be the one apologizing, even though she's responsible for half of it!"

"But you did break the--"

"That's not the point! I hate being used and manipulated – I'm not lover boy over here!" He jerked a thumb in Sanji's direction. "It's disgraceful, and it's not what I joined up for!"

"Now wait a second--!"

"Am I wrong?! I'm telling you now that I'm not putting up with it, so don't any of you try and tell me what I should, or shouldn't--"

"ZORO!" Luffy's voice rattled the ship like thunder.

Zoro stopped his angry spiel, slightly taken aback. He hid the emotion well as he did any, and instead watched curiously as his captain turned around and was even more taken aback when he saw the huge, ear-to-ear grin spread on the boy's face. "Luffy...?"

He beamed. "ISLAAAAAAAND!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yes. It can't be Luffy without some random cry of ….randomness...!

:D Did u enjoy that? Was it worth the wait? ***Is pelted with rotten vegetables***

I would LOVE to have ur comments after half a year's worth of waiting.

CRITISIZM IS IDOLIZED!!!! 3


	3. For Guilt or Responsibility?

Some people seem to have been confused by the sudden switch of situations between the first and second chapters.

Explaination: the second chapter is set 4 hours before the first – allowing an in depth re-telling of HOW they actually became stuck to each other. :)

Well, please, enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I am not Eiichiro Oda. I am his sister. (no that's also a lie)**

* * *

It had been all-hands on deck as soon as the word of 'land' was out, in order to get them as fast as possible to the sighted island. On arrival, Luffy had jumped overboard immediately, sprinting off in the direction of the peaked mountain, a magnificent structure in the centre of the island, oblivious of any instructions yelled at him, too over stimulated by the idea of an adventure.

Franky who had ran after him, and Chopper who was hoping to find some medical herbs there, were also away quickly, leaving Nami who was leaning from the railing to shout the directions after them.

"Remember, meet back at the ship in four hours! We might need to dock around the other side of the island if something happens!"

Franky and Chopper give her a hurried "Yeah, got it!", before speeding into the vegetation after their captain in high spirits.  
"They're hopeless," sighed Nami, putting her hands on her hips. Still, she couldn't help but smile, unwilling to squash the mood that she too was elated in.

"Do you reckon there's somewhere to buy some wood – I want to finish making one of my brilliant inventions!" said Usopp eagerly. In the excitement he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be acting dead in front of the navigator. "And, what is it called, you ask? It's the 'Captain Usopp Mega Long-Range Sling Shot' of course! Equip with seven different range points and indestructible elastic, this baby can shoot eight pellets of ammo in a space of three seconds..." He continue to ramble into a detailed and enthusiastic description about the new invention, while the others simply talked over him, automatically blocking him out in a few seconds.

"The town we saw earlier should be somewhere around here," said Nami. She shaded her eyes with a hand from the sun. "Maybe a five or ten minute's walk eastward."

"It'll be a joy to stretch my legs again!" exclaimed Brook with a jolly laugh. "Even though I have no muscles to stretch! Yohohohoho! I'd be glad to accompany Usopp-san!"

"Nami-swaaaan! I'm go to go and get some food stock!" cried the ship's cook from behind. He spun, love heart pounding in his single visible eye, to Nami's side. "So I'll be your escort for the day!"

Zoro rolled his eyes from his spot a little apart from the others. "Idiot."

Sanji spun sharply on the spot. "What did you say?!"

"No, I'm going by myself," announced Nami loudly, stopping the mini-war that had been about to break out.

Sanji's face drooped. "But...Nami-san..."

Zoro in turn, glanced briefly at her from the corner of his eye.

"Go with Brook and Usopp instead," offered Nami, although her tone lacked gentleness. "I just want to be alone for a day at least."

Zoro noticed that she made sure not to look in his direction and felt a strange pang of guilt hit him. He quickly smothered it with irritation and pulled an even stonier face.

"B-but...will you be okay?" asked Sanji desperately. It was clear he was searching for excuses.

Nami nodded simply in reply.

Deciding it was useless, the cook sighed, turning to the other two. "Right! Brook! Usopp! You heard her! Hurry up and get moving!" he bellowed, tone completely changed. "Luffy managed _somehow_ to get through all the food stock since the last island so there's a lot of work to do! "

"Eeeehhh?!"

"Of course!"

The blond-haired chef paused with a quick grimace in Zoro's direction. "Oi, you too Kelp-Brain! Move it! "

"I'm staying," the swordsman said bluntly, picking himself up with a defiant scowl at the cook. "I need to train. Plus, someone needs to stay put to protect the Sunny."

"Robin already volunteered," Nami replied, her sudden input drawing all eyes to her. She still wasn't look at him, although it was clear from the fierce gaze directed towards the wall, that she was displeased.

Lifting an eyebrow, Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "Did she?"

Usopp and Brook watched on, extremely aware of the icy tension which was forming in the air.

Sanji lit another cigarette, puffing it slowly.

"Why don't you go do something useful like everyone else around here instead?" The tone Nami used was biting. "It'll be a nice change."

However Zoro just ignored it, looking almost bored. "I told you I want to train. It's not like I stay here to just sit around and do nothing."

"You always say that, and then someone finds you up in that crow's nest snoring a storm!"

Scratching his head at the point, Zoro recalled the regular occurrence of Luffy waking him up for dinner times an amused smile drifting onto his lips.

Unfortunately, Nami didn't take well to this. "Is something funny? Because I personally don't see anything to laugh about!"

Grin sliding off his face, the swordsman shrugged and waited for her to continue. It was pointless arguing with her to get his way.

This only caused the navigator to get more frustrated. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Say _something_!"

"Well, what do you want me to say? It's clear to me that the only thing you're going to listen to is what _you_ want to hear, right?"

Usopp and Brook gulped at the daring words. Looking nervously from Zoro to Nami, they watched, sweating, as expressions flitted across her face like colours in a wildfire.

"The hell are you trying to say, you shitty bastard?!" roared Sanji, but Nami was already at the swordsman, whipping a hand at his face.

Zoro glowered in stunned fury, his cheek pounding where she had made contact.

She paused to meet his eyes, her voice low and trembling."You've made you're point."

With a sharp swivel, she marched to the boat's side where she climbed down, each step venomously dug into the ship's side. Jumping off the at the bottom she waded forcefully through the shallow water, disappearing into the bushes beyond the beach.

The others watched her go in shocked silence. Only Zoro looked on with murderous intent.

"Happy now?" hissed the crew chef, regaining his voice. "Shitty-bastard." He shoved passed the green-haired man to climb up the stairs to the girl's room, going to ask for his pocket-money off Robin instead.

Zoro just grunted angrily, staring a hole through Sanji's back as he left.

Beside him, Usopp had crossed his arms and was frowning. Brook also seemed to be looking rather disappointedly in Zoro's direction, although, being Brook, it was hard to tell.

"Smooth."

"Perhaps not one of your best moments, I have to say."

"Shutup," huffed Zoro stalking off in a rather childish manner, grumbling a colourful variety of swear words under his breath the entire way.

* * *

-F-I-V-E M-E-T-R-E R-A-D-I-U-S- ~~~~  


* * *

Everything, still and quiet. Just how he liked it. Right?

The clink of the metal weights as he threw them forward was like music to his ears. Sanji and the others had left the ship a while ago, leaving him alone to train in peace. Well apart from Robin. She had indeed stayed back on board as Nami had said, but since the crew had left, she hadn't shown herself once.

Not that it mattered. It just meant there were not distractions, right?

Heaving a breath, he placed the weight down on the grass, gazing out at the forest. He had decided that coming outside would be a refreshing break from being stuffed up in the crows nest all day like usual. However, he kept catching himself gazing out towards the island, mind clouded with thoughts.

What was he saying. He _was _distracted.

He swung a half-hearted punch at his weights in frustration. "What am I doing?!"

"Having trouble?"

Zoro looked up in surprise at the voice to see Robin leaning over the second-floor balcony, wearing her usual peaceful smile. "Ah? Robin?" He wiped his face with the towel he had strung around his neck. "Something wrong?"

The woman paced slowly down the staircase, looking amused. "Actually, I wanted to ask you the same question. Is something the matter?"

Realizing she was testing him, he tried to look indifferent. "Not really."

"Oh?" chuckled the historian. "That's strange. I must have imagined the heated argument I heard between you and our navigator, then."

It was obvious that she hadn't missed a thing. Zoro dropped the act, defeated, instead giving her a grumpy expression.

"I thought so." Robin chuckled again.

"Does it matter?" mumbled Zoro. "It was just another scenario of Nami trying to con me into feeling guilty about doing something I shouldn't have to do. Nothing special."

"Is it working?" asked Robin innocently.

He scowled immediately. "Of course not! Are you insane?!"

"If that's the case, then why have you been so flustered ever since you two argued?" pressed Robin. "It's very out of character for you."

Zoro stiffened slightly at the word 'flustered'. "I'm not--!"

"She didn't forgive you, did she?" interrupted Robin, her tone suddenly very serious. "When you dropped that mug."

He paused, studying the change in expression. "What about it?"

"Did you ever inquire as to what sentimental value the mug held for our navigator?"

Zoro gave her a strange look. "It was her 'special' cup. What else is there to ask about?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the woman Bellemere?"

The swordsman's eyes widened slightly, but not so much that any ordinary person could tell. He realized he already knew what she was telling him. His gaze drifted down to the white katana hung on his belt, on which his hand rested. "Yeah....I know her."

"That mug once to belong to her,"said Robin. She eyed the man before her for a moment, watching as his anger vanished, a deep frown instead creasing his brow.

When he didn't say anything, Robin continued.

"One of the only things she had left of her guardian was, however unfortunate, shattered to pieces. I imagine that Nami, even if she may have contributed to the result, will not lay the fault on anybody but you for a long time. Which is why she was, and likely still is, waiting for an apology of some kind."

Zoro met Robin's eyes, his face suddenly set like stone again. "An _apology_?

"Why don't you go after her?" Robin suggested, smiling. "You shouldn't look so shocked. She is, after all, 'nakama' as our dear captain would say."

He was starting to think that since they had saved her from Enies Lobby she had become far too attracted to the whole _nakama_ thing. Scowling again, he continued to lift his weights. "No way."

"It would be in the best interests of both yourself and your fellow crewmates," reasoned Robin with her maddening logic. "I especially think it's unhealthy for Luffy, having to deal with this stress of his crewmates acting so hostile to one another."

"I really don't think it's even possible for him to _feel_ stress," muttered Zoro rebelliously under his breath.

"At least, if you are not going to apologize for Nami's sake, think of it as your responsibility as captain's second-hand. For the sake of the rest of the crew – as your duty."

_Responsibility_. He ground his teeth at the word. _Duty._ This was pure blackmail. No better than that crazy money-loving witch. What was worse was that he was already convinced.

"I _hate _women."

Robin just smiled.

* * *

**A/n !!**

I love it how Robin can do that to him :)

I bet most of you are still waiting for an explaination for the first chapter. Yeah, that will be in the next or next next chapter or so so hang in there! I have to pace it out so its not shallow (well as shallow as other fics out there/ fics I have made)

SO!

Read and Review please! It makes me and all the characters (not really) happy.


	4. A Clash of Fate

UPDATE!!! YES, YOU CAN BELIVE YOUR EYES!!

Well, I hope you're as happy as me that this chapter is finally out! (DAMN YOU UNI AND YOUR DAMN ASSIGNMENTS!!! *shakes fist*)  
It's definitely been one of my favourite scenes to write so fare (mostly because there's a lot of good solid ZoNa fighting – yes, I am screwed up. Shhh)

Anyhoo, so for those who have been waiting for an explanation as to WHY these to are doomed to be stuck together, here is a….half…no…maybe quarter explanation for it Cruel? Yes.

ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: For those of you who think that any of the characters belong to me, bless you. But NO. I just own the story :)**

* * *

"I told you, I don't have your dumb wallets!"

Nami took a hurried glimpse back at her pursuers and gulped as her eyes latched onto the grizzly weapons each bearded man wielded. Suddenly not feeling so tired anymore, she pumped her legs faster. _How on earth did it come to this anyway?_

It had been about two hours since she had arrived in town and had managed to do quite a fair amount of shopping in that space of time too. Fair meaning that she now held about ten shopping bags as she ran, struggling to prevent them from falling down.

She hadn't even been able to put away the perfume she had managed to receive as a freebie in the last store she had visited. The small pink bottle was still gripped in her left hand as she sprinted although there was no thought of even placing it in a bag – the only thing Nami was focused on now was the word 'escape'.

How long had she been running for again? Five minutes? Ten?

However long, her chest was starting to tighten, and she was gasping for breath now, as if no amount of air could relieve her aching lungs.

"Hey! Girly! Stop struggling already! You're never going to get away!" bellowed one of the men behind her. They didn't sound half as exhausted as Nami and she figured with a panicked jolt, that they must be doing this kind of thing for a living.

"W...Why are you chasing me?! You could at least...tell me that!" It was a desperate attempt to reason with them, but each word was uttered between rasping gasps. She had seen them before somewhere, but....Her brain didn't seem to want to cooperate, focused more on the strain on her body.

"Don't act innocent, you thieving rat!" roared a different man, causing Nami to jump at the his ferociousness. "You were there at the bar! You know you robbed us clean while you were pretending so cleverly to play us at poker! So come back here already so I can slice you up!"

"Yeah! Gut her! The slimy brat!"

"Save a piece for me! I'll give her a taste of my sword!"

Nami felt her breath catch at the back of her throat as the memory returned. As well as the even clearer memory of spending each cent of their money. She uttered a scream of terror as she ran on, deciding not to ask any more questions.

_Why didn't I ask one of the others to come with me?!_ She thought angrily to herself. Her chest was burning like wildfire and every step seemed to increase the pain which had struck her side about a minute ago. _Luffy or Sanji or even Zoro..._She paused._ Okay, maybe not Zoro, but still..._

She had no time to think about any more. At that moment, she was wrenched back by her hair and thrown to the ground, hard enough that she could see stars when she opened her eyes again.

Someone was pinning her down. She kicked at the looming men desperately, yelling as loud as she could. She could hardly even squirm beneath them.

"Stop it! Let me go!" Her eyes followed the large flashing dagger being directed towards her-- "No! Don't! Please!!--" it was being swung down at her – she jammed her eyes shut. There was no escape. She did the only thing she could do – scream. "HEEELP!!!"

Before she could even register what had happened, there was a loud clash of metal above her, the sound only inches from her face. Then, a powerful gust of wind tore through the air and she could hear the chaotic screams of the men who had been chasing her. Confused and bewildered, she opened her eyes again to see a shadowed figure standing above her, weapons drawn.

"Zoro...?"

The man lowered his swords slightly, his usual scowl set on his face, only deeper and seemingly aimed at the navigator.

Nami, realizing she wasn't pinned down anymore, scraped herself to her feet. Despite being saved from the overwhelming terror of being killed a few seconds ago, she couldn't help but feel the grudge of their last conversation simmer inside her again. "Wha-What are you doing here?! I said I didn't want to be followed! Are you deaf or something?"

The swordsman snapped his head around to her, spitting his white katana out of his mouth to sheath it angrily. "I just saved your ass, you ungrateful wench!!"

"Excuse me?!" exclaimed Nami. "I didn't _ask_ you to save me!"

Too busy arguing, Zoro hardly glanced at the men as they tried to attack, dodging them easily as he yelled across to the woman he had only seconds ago rescued. "Shutup! It's not like want to be here either!"

"Then why _are _you here?!"

Zoro grunted as he pushed another attacker away. "Good question actually!"

Nami glowered. "Whatever! If that's all you have to say then I'm going back to the ship! Have fun with whatever it is you came to do!" She gathered her scattered shopping bags, spotting her perfume rolled into the gutter. To her relief, it hadn't cracked.

"Nami!"

In the middle of bending over to pick it up, the navigator turned to stare him into silence again at the call – only to find herself gazing straight down the barrel of a pistol. The six-foot tattooed tower of a man holding the gun gave a wicked smile of triumph. There wasn't even enough time to fear for her life before it was already clicked to load.

And then there was a ear-shattering bang.

The perfume she had picked up flung into the air as she was shoved roughly down by Zoro and with a single movement, he had the surrounding men flying into the air with massive force.

Nami gasped as she watched her pink glass bottle blasted skyward as well. "My perfume!" She was in seconds on her feet, shaking Zoro violently. "Do you know how much I had to go through to get that for free?!"

Oppositely, the swordsman was trying to find a way to sheath his katana while being shaken without cutting her to pieces. "What the hell are you--?!"

"My perfume!" shouted Nami heavily. She pointed upwards, still shaking him with the remaining hand. Zoro squinted at the spot where her finger was directed. "You've destroyed it! Again! With one of your stupid, reckless moves!" With no reply, she gave up shaking him and just pushed him off to collect her shopping bags again with teary frustration. "Forget it! Nothing about the word 'value' seems to sink into you so there no point in even trying to--"

"You mean," interrupted Zoro, "that thing?"

"Huh?" Nami looked up, following his gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw it: the small pink bottle, in perfect shape, falling rapidly towards them. "It's...still...", she head snapped down to Zoro with a gasp of fear, "...going to smash!"

Zoro stiffened and after experiencing a rather disturbing vision of what would happen if he let the perfume smash, he jerked himself towards the perfume as fast as he could.

Nami, in turn, was desperately stretching her arms out, diving to catch it.

Then, everything happened very fast.

The perfume had almost been seized when there was a sickening crunch as both bodies collided, and a confusion of dust, glass and liquid surrounded them as they tumbled to the ground. For a while, all either could do was wait for the sense of up and down to become distinguishable again.

Zoro had opened his eyes first, to the sight of Nami's head drooped sluggishly over his left shoulder, earrings jingling quietly as she stirred.

Nami's head was pounding. Apart from this there was a different, tingling sensation, almost like pain, which she was aware of, but wasn't sure where it was coming from.

Beneath her, the swordsman pulled himself forward with effort, propping the navigator up with an arm as he managed a sitting position. His head also pounded terribly, but he ignored it, with a glance towards the unresponsive woman he held. "Nami? You alive? Hey?"

Nami clutched her shoulder, senses swirling as she regained them again, a faint but pleasant aroma filling her nostrils. Suddenly she was upright again, staring wildly at Zoro and then at the wide stained patch on his shirt. In horror she touched her shoulder. It was cool, refreshing, even...

_Wet. _Nami's jaw dropped, as it all clicked. _The perfume._

Zoro simply watched, growing slightly concerned that she had bumped her head a little too hard. However this notion vanished as soon as he was hit, out of the blue, in the nose, sending him toppling backwards. He grabbed his face, eyes watering and enlarged by both his bewildered fury as well as the pain. "Are you crazy?! What the hell are you doing?!" He swerved as another fist was sent flying towards him, and he immediately rolled her off, getting to his feet.

` Nami was also standing, rage seeping from her, almost tangible. "YOU!" She gripped her shopping bags, swinging them at him for every word she uttered. "WHY! ARE! YOU! SO! STUPID!!" Seeing as he was dodging them all, she tried kicking instead, throwing in a few punches for good luck. "Is it impossible for you think before you act?! Isn't there _anything_ under that thick skull of yours?!"

"I was trying to catch it for you, idiot!"

"Yeah! And look where that got you!"

Sick of ducking, Zoro grabbed her arms and swung her against the wall, pinning her there while she squirmed and writhed under his grip, trying to get in a few more kicks. "Then why didn't you stop when you saw me reaching for it? You did exactly the same thing!"

Nami seemed to be passed the point of caring as she struggled to land a mark on him. "Just! Let me go so I can hit you properly!"

"I don't think so."

"I'll fine you for this! Let me go now, or it'll be a hundred thousand Beri on your tab!"

"I don't think it really matters at this point!"

"Two hundred thousand!"

"I told you, I don't care about money!" Zoro snapped testily, finding it more and more difficult to control his temper.

"Then let me go!" shouted Nami in return.

"Will you stop acting like a violent maniac if I do?"

Nami simply tried to worm her way out of his grip.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Fine! I will! " hissed Nami in defeat. She ceased her struggles with bitter reluctance, knowing that she was no match for the swordsman's monster strength. Prizing her arms away from the wall as soon as Zoro let them free with an huff of agitation, she met his eyes, a terrible loathing radiating from them. "_I hate you_."

"Don't worry it's mutual," muttered Zoro darkly. "Oi! Wait! Where are you going now?!"

"Somewhere far away from you!" Nami yelled without looking back.

With a grunt of irrepressible resentment, he barked, "Fine!", and conceded to turn his back sharply on her to walk in the opposite direction, never in his life wanting to cut something up in pieces so bad.

_Stupid women...! Stupid perfume...! Stupid...Nami...!_ He shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't even know where he was going. He didn't care. As long as he didn't have to listen to that crazy, stuck-up, selfish, lunatic's dumb...

This was as far as he got in terms of insults as the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, being crushed, like a one-hundred-tonne invisible boulder was squashing him to the floor. He had heard Nami shriek seconds before, but he hardly breathe let alone move his head to see what had happened to her.

_What's going on...? _was the only thought his mind could muster, before it clouded over and he sank into the dark silence of unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N:**

Unclear?

Yeah, sorry about that. But very fun to write….

Aahhhh. Nami can be such a bitch. :x It's great.  
To Zoro's credit, only took him two hours to find her. HA. I love his sense of direction.

Remember to R&R my folks!! I enjoy your comments even more than Chuck Norris enjoys roundhouse kicks. And that's quite a lot.


	5. Three's a Crowd

Hi folks!

Quick update today!!

Thanks everyone for your support and comments btw (I just realized that I haven't even mentioned it! SORRY!!!) Seriously, it makes my day (and my story :D :D)

Some of you have put in some interesting comments as well. I'll put it out there that there will be some characters coming back later on to spice up the plot, so watch out for them, or you can play spot-the-villain in the comments - it'll sure keep me entertained :P

If some of you are wondering - where is the zona????

About that. I'm sorry but I'm pacing it out. Because the truth is, between those two, there is a lot of hate. As there is a lot of care. So to me, zona is just not zona without the hate and I'm trying to work through it to make their journey convincing. I'm also trying to push the couple to their limits to find out what happens... :} fufufufu.

**Disclaimer: Do not own One Piece or the characters or the plot. No wait. I own the plot. :)

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**Chapter 5**

_Real time (approximately 2 hours later): Sunny Thousand._

So this was it. They were stuck together for three months. _Three whole months._

Nami had practically dragged Zoro back to her room by the rope knotted to their wrists, and sunk into her bed, groaning. "This is all wrong! I can't _do_ this!"

In turn, the swordsman prodded Robin's bed with a slightly reluctant look before seating himself, almost falling backwards when it sank down with his weight. _The men's bunkers had never been this soft_, he mused and lay back, wriggling a bit to get comfortable, not sure whether this new softness was good or bad.

Nami rolled her eyes as she saw this, every movement of the swordsman, whether innocent or idiotic, seemed to increase the amount of hatred she had been feeling for him since this morning.

Because of their new inconvenience, Robin had decided to move out and allow them some 'privacy' as she had explained to them. Nami remembered crying out to her that there was absolutely no need for privacy, although the archaeologist had seemed set in her decision and had left to see to her temporary quarters in the library, which Franky had quickly assembled at her word.

The navigator recalled the past hour with an exasperated sigh.

Blacking out in town, she and Zoro had apparently been found by Sanji who had heard her earlier cries for help. After searching a while, he, along with Brook and Usopp, had found both of them lying unconscious in the middle of the street and had carried her (and dragged Zoro) back to the ship, where they had apparently regained consciousness, choking for air.

It had taken both of them a few more painful attempts to distance themselves from each other to realize that there seemed to be some sort of 'safe-field' which they could walk in without being crushed again by the invisible weight. A safe-field which unfortunately, only allowed them to be less than five metres away from one another at all times.

_A complete nightmare_, she thought acidly. With another infuriated glance at the man lying opposite her, she stood up to tower over him, arms folded over her chest. At least she had an easy, quick way to release her frustration on now. "Okay, listen up! If you are going to live with me, in my room, then you'd better get used to the way I run things around here!"

Stopped in his thoughts about the new bed, Zoro simply grimaced.

"Rule number one! Don't touch anything. Especially the stuff on my side. If I catch you around there doing anything suspicious, I promise you that you'll regret it until the end of time."

"I have no reason to look, dumbass," muttered Zoro disdainfully .

"Rule number two!" continued Nami, ignoring him. "This--" She pointed toward the side draw next to her bed. "--is strictly off limits. If you even so much as look at it without my permission, I'll make you wish you'd never been born. Got it?"

"How is that different from rule number one?"

"It's not," said Nami. "I'm just making it absolutely clear. Rule number three! Don't break rule number one or two! Simple isn't it?"

"Whatever," snapped Zoro at the degrading repetition. "I don't care about your stuff anyway. As long as you don't get in my way, I'm good."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

For a moment, they were both trying to glare the other down. It was lucky that Luffy had burst in soon after or they might have been doing it for an eternity.

"NAMI! ZORO! DINNER!" The black haired captain had almost knocked down the door as he entered, completely oblivious of the searing tension in the air when he did. "Guess what! Sanji's making Takoyaki from the octopus we caught yesterday! It the BEST! Hurry up and come around so we can start eating already!" Without waiting for an answer, Luffy was already sweeping down the staircase to the opposite side, clapping excitedly at the notion of food.

Zoro, glad to have company other than the seemingly always agitated navigator, was already at his feet, his katanas clinking at his side as he marched out the door to follow.

"Hey! Ow! Wait!" cried Nami as she was yanked forward by the wrist to follow him. "That hurts you moron!"

It had taken several minutes of a violent battle of tug-of-war to decide the pace at which they would proceed to the dining room, both storming the kitchen looking extremely disheveled, Nami hopping in with a shoe missing, Zoro without either.

However, being dinner with the Straw Hat crew members, this was hardly noticed, and after Zoro and Nami reluctantly took their seats next to eachother, they found they were soon too busy trying to protect their food from being stolen to remember to argue.

"Luffy! That was mine!" cried a mortified Chopper.

Brook looked down at his plate which had also been cleaned empty. "Ah! My food has disappeared!"

"Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Usopp, spinning his plate away from the captain's rogue hands, which were sweeping away every piece of food available in sight. "Watch this! Usopp Tabasco Fire-Star!"

Luffy who had shoved the baited onigiri into his mouth without a though let out a roar of pain causing Usopp and Chopper to burst into laughter. "IT'S HOOOOOT!! Hot! Hot! Hot! WAATEEERR!!" He plunged his head into the soapy kitchen sink water, surfacing with dripping soap-suds covering his relieved looking face.

"Don't even think of laying a hand on Robin-chan's dinner!" bellowed Sanji kicking the captain's stretching arm away from the raven-haired girl's dish. "Not Nami-san's either!"

"But I'm still hungry!"

"Then ask for seconds instead of stealing everyone else's food!"

Franky had got the right idea and had shoved all the food on his plate into his mouth at once.

Robin and Nami in the meantime, were trying to keep a conversation going above the noise.

"Has everything settled down?" asked the historian pleasantly. "Between the two of you, I mean."

Nami shot a despairing look in Zoro's direction, who was dodging the captain's flying arms expertly. "Why did you have to leave me with him, Robin?! I can't deal with this! I can't deal with _him_!"

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, but all in all, I do think my moving out was for the best."

"What do you mean for the best?! I don't want to be stuck with him alone! And that whole privacy thing you were going on about before – I don't care! _Really_!"

"You never know," smiled Robin. "You may end up enjoying yourself in the long run."

Nami could hardly get her head around what she was hearing. "Robin! Are you out of your mind? This is torture! A bad dream come true!" She cupped her head in her hands in dread. "I wish I'd never gotten that stupid perfume!"

Robin glanced over to her side at the reindeer who was wiggling in his chair, delighted as Luffy was once again struck with one of Usopp's Tobasco shots. "Chopper? May I ask, is there any additional evidence you've discovered on the perfume?"

Popping out of his fit of joy, he looked up in surprise. "The perfume?" He frowned then scratched his head. "I don't know....I haven't been able to get much out of it yet. It's the first time I've seen anything like it....But--" He straightened up, eye burning in determination. "--I have do my best! I have to try and reduce the effects!"

Only Usopp and Luffy were still battling for food scraps, the others tuning into the conversation with interest.

Nami felt uncomfortable at Chopper's unsure answer and shifted a little in her chair.

Zoro was pretending to be unconcerned, although it was clear that he was noting every word the doctor was saying with intensity.

"It is indeed quite a dilemma," Brook said, scraping his chin with two bony fingers. "I have no doubts that Nami-san will be able to carry on navigating, however Zoro-san will have trouble defending the Thousand Sunny in this kind of situation. It's dangerous for both ends I say."

Although he didn't say anything, Zoro seemed to be in agreement.

"This is a damn shitty problem we've got here," muttered Sanji, puffing his cigarette as he frowned.

Chopper simply bowed his head, nervous about the obvious pressure on him to develop a cure.

Nami was also quiet, feeling more gloomier the more she listened. She had thought of a few problems that they would have to face already, but the reality of it was starting to strike her hard. "Isn't there any way around it? _Any_ way?"

"It was a shame that we had already set sail when you two came to," said Robin. "Or else it would have been a simple matter of asking for the antidote at the village."

"But then we couldn't go to the island you were talking about, Robin!" pouted Luffy, who, along with Usopp had become bored with their games (apart from the fact that all of the food had gone) and had joined the group discussion. "The one with the lots of meat...!"

"That's the reason we left the island so fast?!" exclaimed Nami disbelievingly, moving to throttle him until she realized the rope didn't stretch far enough, resorting to a meager glower instead.

Luffy, mistook her glare as enthusiasm was now grinning at her like a mere cat.

"I suppose the worst case scenario would be to acquire an Eternal Pose at the next island, to direct us back to the last one so that we can reverse the perfume's effects," offered Robin.

"What's the chances of finding one of those, though," Usopp put in with his usual fantastic pessimism. "It's an Eternal Pose! It's not like we can just buy it in a local market stall."

"Yes, I agree, it is a problem."

Nami sat down again, her spirits doused.

"Well, at any rate, all we can do is wait until we get to the next island," concluded Sanji, folding his arms. "At least, then we'll know a bit better what our options are. In the meantime, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the Marimo, Nami-san, terrible as it may be." He pulled a face as if he had sentenced her to a horrible death and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief dramatically.

Zoro was trying to pierce a hole through Sanji's head with his eyes.

"Moreover," interrupted Franky, turning to Robin. "About what you said earlier about making two bathrooms; with the supplies we have and the lack of space on board, I think they'll have to make do with the one we've got – at least, until the next island."

"I see," replied Robin her tone amused rather than concerned.

"What? What do you mean, two bathrooms?" asked Nami, very aware of the historian's expression of wicked curiosity.

"Well, you two have to shower _sometime_, right?" said Franky raising his sunglasses with a raised eyebrow.

Zoro grew rigid, spraying the contents of water he had just poured into his mouth all over the cook. "What?!"

Nami looked equally aghast, jaw dropped. "Oh no...no, no, no, no, no!"

Sanji was gaping at the swordsman opposite him as if he had won the lottery.

Usopp was shifting his gaze from Zoro to Nami like he was watching a ping-pong match. "You mean...Zoro and Nami will have to--"

"--shower together?" breathed Brook.

Luffy was scrunching is nose up in distaste. "Ehhhhh??!"

Chopper, enjoying the captain's expression, joined in. "Ehhhhhhh?!"

Robin simply chuckled. "I'm sure it will be a very interesting experience."

The swordsman and navigator gripped their chairs, sweating profusely as they turned to face eachother, eyes narrowing. They inched apart slightly, their expressions of pure mortification identical. No. Way. In. Hell.

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**A/N:**

Hmmm, what do you think?

Well it was an issue that was blatantly obvious to me so I brought it up (with Franky and Robin's help of course). So there.

I also kind of missed the rest of the crew, so I wrote a bit of them as well :) What can I say, I'm a slave to them.

R+R like you always do my good fans. I LOVE YOU GUYS 3 seriously.

Till next time....;)


	6. To be Clean or not to be Clean?

Haha. Gave up on me? WELL YOU'RE WRONG! :D

Yup, sorry about the late chapter - uni and social life (yes I have one folks, don't look so shocked) to blame there. I actually planned to make this chapter longer, but I figured it would be cruel making you guys wait another three months or whatever so I could finally finish.

On another note, DID ANYONE see that latest episode (454) for OP featuring Sanji? If you haven't I advise you to. FUNNIEST EPISODE EVER. Not to mention disturbing and slightly cruel. I almost had a fit afetr watching it. Yuppo.

Anyhooo...READ ON! (while you still can). Plus, the week: a Super Special Awesome Interview at the end with three of the characters from our favourite series!

**Disclaimer: ODA-SENSEI owns the characters. It is just my duty from here to screw with them :)**

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It had been a long drawn out decision. At least, that's what Nami would have liked to say.

Nevertheless, as she and her utterly miserable green-haired companion stood there, clad in the bathers Robin had suggested for them, Nami was beginning to doubt herself.

"Are you going through or not?" Zoro had his towel flung lazily around his neck, flicking her a malicious look as the navigator hesitated at the door.

He had literally been dragged the whole way, and it was only a few minutes ago that he had stopped glancing towards the exit, as if hoping to make a last-minute escape. Except it seemed as if he had finally accepted the fact that there was no way out of the situation, as he now looked grumpier than ever.

Rolling her eyes, Nami swung the thick wooden door pen to reveal a room white with steam. "Just hurry up so we can get this over with already."

"It was your idea, stupid," retorted Zoro, irritably. "Told you we should've just stayed downstairs..."

"You're the one who needs a bath the most!"Nami snapped at him, testily. "I'm not sleeping in the same room as someone who smells like – like – well, _you_!"

Although Zoro would normally have accepted the comment as praise, he was in too foul a mood to even notice. "If you don't like it, get a peg."

Resisting the growing urge to kick him, Nami ducked into the steam-filled room.

As soon as she stepped inside, almost all vision was lost. The steam engulfed her and it was only through a hazy screen that she could see the blur of green hair duck through the doorway after her. She searched for the showers, at which she seated herself with a strange sigh of satisfaction, too distracted by the thought of hot water to bother waiting for the swordsman.

Next to her, Zoro had scraped up a stool for himself, before moodily lathering a messy dollop of dispensable soap over himself.

Nami hardly noticed and had already snatched the bottle away from him, now massaging an overflowing lump of hair shampoo into auburn locks.

However, the moment of silence did not last, ending when Zoro mumbled something contemptuous under his breath after the navigator had practically emptied half the bottle into her hair.

"What was that?" Nami barked, immediately whipping around at the comment.

"I said," Zoro said loudly, making sure she could hear every syllable with a certain venom, "'what a waste'." Taking the bottle from her, he smeared a pea-sized amount into his own green spikes as if teaching something to a lost five year old child.

"A waste? It's so that I can get _clean_!" snapped Nami. "And what that supposed to be? I couldn't even see anything in your hand to wash with! No wonder you always stink!" She grabbed the conditioner in front of her and continued to squeeze a mountain of it into her palm, keeping her eyes lock sourly on Zoro the entire time to ensure its full impact.

Enough was enough. In a move of utter impulsion, the shower head had been snatched up, pushed squarely in the face of the tyrant sitting next to him and cranked onto full spray.

Before there was time to even register what was happening, the conditioner was flying in the air and Nami was battling a fury of water, gasping as water filled her nostrils and opened mouth without mercy.

Hearing a shriek of panic, Zoro in a moment of compassion, wrenched the tap closed (albeit with great reluctance) and watched as she dripped, coughing and spluttering, horrified beside him with some satisfaction. "That clean enough for you?"

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, there was a mighty SPLAT, as the entire bottle of conditioner had been emptied, without grace, onto not only his entire bed of green hair, but his entire face as well.

"Why you-" he managed to yell after a few spits of conditioner, to be answered with a full-power burst of water in the face, the hose having had been stolen from him in the confusion.

"You sprayed me!" Nami cried, obviously still in shock, a deadly glare piercing the recovering slime-covered man before her. "You pig!"

"What do you expect? A bouquet of flowers?" retorted Zoro, lunging for the shower head while attempting to wipe his face of the conditioner paste at the same time. "I've told you before – I'm not going to put up with any more of your -!"

"Oh get off your high horse!" exclaimed Nami, almost completely bending backwards in order to open the tap again for another blast of water. "You're the one who's impossible to live with! Don't act as if you're the victim here!"

Zoro, who was too involved in blocking the action to listen anymore, smirked with somewhat childish triumph as he managed a grip on the shower head.

"Oh no you don't!" huffed Nami, prizing it away from him with a cleverly timed twist and cranking the water on as high as possible.

While somehow juggling the task of protecting his face from the assault and regaining power, he shouted back, figuring that the situation was well past the point-of-no-return. "If you weren't so _obsessed_, things would be so much easier!"

"Obsessed?" scoffed Nami, mouth wide at the effrontery. "You're one to talk! When do I see you ever come out of that crow's nest if it's not to eat or sleep?" She twisted again as the swordsman made another grab for the hose head.

"If I don't train then I don't have a reason to stay here, do I?" growled Zoro, tone suddenly vicious. The words were tumbling out before they could even register as he snatched up the shampoo for his own defense. " Don't talk as if you know everything about me!"

This struck Nami with some force and for a moment she was lost for words, only to receive a glop of shampoo in the face. She spat it out, before throwing the hose at him in outrage, picking up her stool instead. "A few days ago, I thought I did." She swung towards him, teeth gritted. "Obviously I was sadly mistake-aah-ahhhhh!"

Both of them, too caught up in their own affairs, had long forsaken the idea of bathing anymore, forgetting even the fact that they were still in the bathroom. It was due to this that in their struggles, they had some how zigzagged their way to the bathing area and within seconds, found themselves slipping backwards over the rim and in towards the steaming water. Nami, whose only foothold was the flimsy bath edge, flailed to keep balance. With all thought of self-preservation, she flung an arm around Zoro's shoulder, somehow trying to worm her way out of the situation.

"What are you doing you idiot!" shouted Zoro, trying to remove her arm while keeping balance at the same time. "If you do that, we're both going to-"

They both yelped in surprise as the swordsman lost his footing, and they were thrown, entangled in a mess of thrashing appendages, square into the midst of steaming hot water.

Something hard crashed against Zoro's skull, and through the chaos of blurred shapes and the mass of bubbles, he managed to claw his way back to the surface, gasping for air as he clutched his throbbing cranium. Noticing the crouched figure next to him, he immediately began his angry spiel. "Dumbass! What were you thinking? You just _had_ to pull me in along, didn't you? Selfish, violent-" He stopped as he noticed that the girl beside him, arm wrapped around the bath edge, hadn't moved from where she was hunched, the taunts seeming to go unheard. "You're not even listening are you?"

Face hidden by her curtain of dark, dripping hair, she simply slipped further into the bath water, spare arm weakly clinging to the tiled bath wall with a soft whimper.

The swordsman was suddenly unnerved. Alarm bells convincing him that it was an act to lure him in rang loudly in his head, but it was the small, persistent voice at the back of his mind telling him something was wrong that urged him to stop and think. "Nami?" He took a cautious step towards her as she gave another yelp, hugging the wall even more tightly. "If this is one of your stupid games, I swear I'm gonna-" Despite his resolve, he found his arms shooting out towards her as the navigator, who had attempted to straighten up, had slipped down again and, with a startled cry had lost all previous grip on the wall. Zoro, still unable to bring himself to play nice, didn't bother lightening his tone. "What's wrong with you now?"

Clasping at the support, Nami shifted her weight so that she was half-above water, and she winced down, carefully tugging her left leg into a more comfortable position. "I can't stand on it...Look..." She tried again, only to give an even louder yelp, before falling flat into Zoro, who immediately shifted her so that he took the bulk of her weight.

Nami, grasped at her ankle, face contorted in pain.

"Don't lean on it you idiot," Zoro grunted. He pulled her further towards himself, at the same time trying to maneuver both of them out of the water. "Don't do anything until Chopper has a look at it."

"Coming from someone who used to stitch up his own injuries?" Nami managed to retort, but any sting the message was supposed to carry was sucked dry by the more demanding sting in her leg. "Ow! Ouch! Be careful, you moron!"

"I am," muttered Zoro irritably, nevertheless frantically shifting his crew mate again and sliding them both back onto the white tiled floor. "_You're_ moving too much!"

The navigator however, was too busy nursing her ankle to care. Looking at the red swollen lump, however, only worsened the pain.

Zoro, who had got to his feet and was now hovering somewhere over her shoulder, peered at the swollen mess gingerly. "Is it broken or what?"

"How should I know?" snapped Nami, crabbily. "I'm just a navigator! Weren't you the one who just said I should see Chopper first?"

She had reached an arm out towards him in a gesture for help, but was beaten to it as the swordsman heaved her with him into a standing position, hooking an arm under her legs so that she was lifted off the ground.

Yelping in pain as well as shock, Nami scrambled for a hold around Zoro's neck before aiming her most menacing glower in his direction. "You could at least warn me first! It hurts whenever you do that, you know! Geez!"

Zoro brushed passed the doorway, into the room outside, ignoring the clothes which they had only minutes ago dumped on the floor. "Better quick than slow, right?"

Although she would have liked to give him some sort of winning witty reply, she found herself simply wincing, as each step the swordsman took resulted in throbbing pain, and she concentrated solely on keeping her injured leg separated in order to avoid any more unnecessary bumps. "This is all your fault you know," she hissed through gritted teeth. However, even as she spoke, she felt her energy for rebuttal slowly ebbing away and let herself slump, defeated, against him.

Zoro shifted her in his grip, the paled figure rolling towards him ever so slightly. It was odd to think that the weak figure he held in his arms was the one whose wrath the crew members' feared the most. It was times like these when the reality of he fragility became apparent. Although he doubted that the red haired woman he held would ever let him escape the blame , he felt a stab of guilt as he stole a glance at her strained expression. Sanji was going to kill him.

And, _boy,_ was he going to be in debt after this.

* * *

**A/N:**

Short? Not what you expected?

Yeah I know. DON'T KILL ME PLEASE! I HAVE TWO GOLDFISH TO LOOK AFTER!

Anyway, you can hardly expect them to fall in love at first sight though...srsly, it's Zoro and Nami we're talking about... And who could resist a shampoo/conditioner/water fight over soap?

Trust me, fluff and stuff will ensue...in later chapters...but I fear my love of all plottiness will get in the way first.

**Well, as a reward for your patience, I have brought three OP characters to comment on the happenings so far:**

**SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME INTERVIEW TIME!**

**Author: **Hey guys and welcome to the Super Special Awesome Author Interview Time Section! I'm hoping you've all read the story so far...?

**Usopp:** Yeah! Why aren't I in the story more? I'm like the most important character!

**Nami:** We _are_ getting paid for this right?

**Zoro:** I don't even know why I'm here...

**Author:** Isn't that how you usually are?

**Zoro**: ... :[

**Author:** Ahem...So guys? What do you think? Aawesome story right?

**Usopp:** Could be better...

**Nami:** It's definitely flawed.

**Zoro:** ...Does it matter?

**Author:** What, so you don't mind the fact that I am forcing you and Nami together against your will?

**Zoro:** YOU'RE WHAT?

**Usopp:** You did read the story right...?

**Zoro:** ...

**Nami:** As I said, it was flawed.

**Zoro:** Why the ****** fish eating ***** in the flowery gardens of ***** hanging on a **** speaking Lebanese on a ***** would you even do that?

**Author:** Sorry didn't quite catch that.

**Zoro:** Why you... I _SAID_, Why the ****** fish eating ***** in the flowery gardens of ***** hanging on a **** speaking Lebanese on a ***** would you do that?

**Author:** Yeah, since this is still T-rated story, all I'm hearing is censors there...

**Zoro:** D8 WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE?

**Usopp:** Actually I think it has potential, this plot...! I mean, if you look back...see? Here, where Luffy had his mouth wide open and I got that shot in? Genius! Pure genius! seee...if you had more of that, then...

**Author:** What about you, Nami? What do you think of the shameless coupling in this story?

**Nami:** It's ridiculous.

**Zoro:** Thankyou, someone who makes sense around here.

**Nami:** I mean, first of all, if he'd dropped Bellmere's cup he'd be enslaved in debt until the day he dies AND I'd pummel him to the ends of the earth, meaning that the character portrayal is completely inaccurate! Obviously.

**Zoro:** OY!

**Usopp:** What? So...in other words Nami, you're okay with all the lovey-dovey stuff?

**Author:** Did I mention that everyone's getting bonuses afterwards? $$$$$ :D

**Nami:** ... Usopp, what are you saying? Of course I don't mind, I've been in love with Zoro all my life.

**Zoro:** ...HAAA?

**Usopp:** Nami, you're eyes turned into Beli...

**Author:** *sigh* I love happy endings.

**THE END**

Next chapter will hopefully be longer so you will not have to suffer through that again ;) R&R my friends and I'll be a very happy chappy.

THANKS!


	7. Chapter 6 Part 2: The Damning

Finally updated with...not very much to upload...

Yeah, this was meant to be a part of chapter seven, so it isn't really a chapter of its own.

Hopefully in the next few chapters there'll be a bit more the ZoroxNami I promised at the start..yes...

DON'T KILL ME!

* * *

Disclaimer: I write very bad rip off stories of the actual One Piece legacy. In other words, no I do not own it or any of the characters. I only make them suffer.

"How bad is it?"

Nami propped herself up on her elbows, grimacing as the ship's furry doctor carefully wrapped another bandage around the bulging joint.

It had been around ten minutes since the swordsman had burst into the medical quarters, dripping in nothing but trunks and carrying his injured roommate who in turn was wearing a more than revealing bikini. Usopp, who had been talking with Chopper at the time had almost flipped at the scene, and after some emergency resuscitation from the reindeer, persisted to pry unhelpfully into details.

Zoro, who had brushed off all comments with a single murderous glance had seated himself at the furthest corner of the room and now watched the drama as the ship's doctor attended to his not altogether cooperative patient.

"Bad enough. The good news is not broken," announced Chopper, pinning the bandage in place and peering at Nami's leg with a deep doctorly frown which didn't entirely seem to suit him. "You shouldn't put any pressure on it or it will definitely get worse."

Nami whimpered dramatically.

"Or you can amputate it," muttered Zoro ruthlessly.

"Zoro!"

"Well, it would be quicker right? And more importantly less noisy."

With the look Nami was now giving him, it seemed it was only her leg injury which was restraining her from throttling the swordsman on the spot. "I'm an invalid! IN-VA-LID! I'm _supposed_ to be loud!"

Zoro was exchanging contemplating looks with Usopp.

Chopper had to grow to human form to prevent Nami from charging from the bed. "Nami! Don't move! You can't struggle! And you two stop provoking her!"

They gave reluctant grunts of compliance.

"But what's really confusing is how this happened in the first place," said Usopp, crossing his arms. "How on earth do you sprain your ankle while taking a bath?"

Chopper also turned his head curiously between the two, while the people in question simply glowered at each other in accusation.

"It's all," began Nami.

Zoro finished it with equal venom. "Her fault."

And both the sharpshooter and doctor sighed.

–

Nami's supposed 'suffering' went on through the night, as Chopper mulled over the best rehabilitation treatment. Usopp decided to retire early, claiming to be tired although not specifying what of, and left Zoro to endure the endless complaints by himself.

However, as soon as it was decided that she was to have a personal caretaker for the rest of the week or so, Nami's mood brightened almost instantly. Zoro's, however, did not.

"Why do I have to-?"

"Because you two can't be separated anyway," Chopper piped up in his most authoritative tone. "It's convenient for everybody, and the most effective treatment I can think of."

Zoro ground his teeth as he felt his ear being tugged for what felt like the hundredth time. With a snarl he whipped his head around. "What is it _now_?"

"Nope, nothing, just testing out the ropes," mused the girl who had been propped reluctantly onto her roommate's back at the doctor's word. "Ears are much more sensitive than hair, don't you think?"

"Could you stop that? OW!" Zoro pretended to drop her, resulting in a startled shriek from Nami.

"What are you thinking? That hurts! Do you want to make my leg worse?"

"That depends."

"Why you-!"

"Stop it!" pleaded Chopper looking distraught. He had lead them to their quarters after the examination had been completed and was now wondering about the plan that Usopp had so cleverly conceived for them before he left. "She's a patient! You two can't fight!"

Zoro could almost hear Nami grinning in his ear, and he trudged violently into the room at this, furious at his own subservience. "This doesn't turn me into one of your slaves, you know," growled Zoro, lowering the navigator onto her bed with as much vehemence as his actions could manage without injuring her further.

Nami slipped him an unnerving smile. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm only under the orders of Chopper, not you," Zoro corrected her snappily.

"And as a_ patient_, I should have the same authority!" concluded Nami, as if it was the simplest matter in the world. She turned sharply to the furry creature fidgeting in the doorway. "_Right_, Doctor Chopper?"

The reindeer, horrified that he had been brought into the ordeal, barely mumbled a reply. "W-Well, that's not completely-" He was greeted with a death glare from the fiery navigator, and shrilled the rest. "I mean, of course you do!"

Zoro's jaw dropped, looking betrayed.

"See?" huffed Nami, more triumphant than ever now. "So this means,in words you can understand, you're mine to do what I want with you until my injury is healed."

This time it was Zoro who looked about to throttle somebody.

"It's only for a couple of days!" Chopper squeaked and uttered a hurried 'goodnight', before he scampered away in fear, slamming the door shut.

Pulling some pajamas from her drawer, humming cheerfully, Nami began peeling off her bikini to slip into the dry clothes.

"Have you even heard of the word conscience?" growled Zoro, who was too busy fuming to pay attention to anything else. He flung the boots on his bed angrily into the corner of the room where they scattered with a loud clatter. "Geez, just my luck! I knew this would happen. I help out for once – and what happens? I'm telling you Nami, if you try that manipulation shit on me, the only thing that you'll get is a one-way ticket to—" He had turned around, to face her only to almost tumble backwards in shock. "Oi, Nami! What are you –? Put something on!"

Nami had already slipped on her pajamas without seeming to have even heard him, before looking up at him expectantly. "Did you say something?"

"Can't you warn me before you do that?" The swordsman had his back turned to her, and was now concentrating determinedly on the wall in front of him. "Crazy nudist."

Nami rolled her eyes before crawling into bed. "Oh, stop being such a baby. It's just a little be of skin." Seeing that he wasn't about to move any time soon, she decided to relieve him. "I'm already done, you know. You can look."

With a careful glance over her shoulder and noting that it was indeed safe to proceed, Zoro too, albeit looking slightly stressed, sank into Robin's bed, not bothering to change. He was exhausted, mentally more than physically and found the soft cushion which hugged his head an unexpected relief. He wasn't used to pillows, after all, having only slept in the hard wooden beds which hung in the male quarters until now.

The only thing which he felt made him feel less inclined to sleep, was when he turned his head, to see Nami lying beside him, just a few feet away.

The navigator pulled a thick blanket over her shoulder, already in a semi-unconscious state. She seemed to be as exhausted as he. "Just be thankful I'm not charging you," she muttered, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

Too tired to be irritated or confused, or to feel any emotion really, Zoro noted the small smile on her lips blankly, tugging his own blanket to his chest. Despite being a psychotic maniac, she looked almost serene in slumber. Almost. And with this thought he was asleep.

A/N:

Yes, R&R my friends. Haven't really been watching op recently...

Perhaps I'm getting rusty! :o NUUUUUUUU.

P.S I LOVE YOU CHARLES DICKENS.


	8. Pillow Fights are the new Kiss Chasey

UPDATE!

I hope this one is worth your while. It was VERY fun to write, let me assure you.

PLEAAASE READ ON!

* * *

**Disclaimer: Trust me, I don't own One Piece. If I did, I'd be very very rich right now (which I'm not).**

Sanji clasped his head in supposed agony, dramatically stumbling back to the kitchen, empty tray in hand, before collapsing in a shuddering heap at the dinner table. The skeleton sitting opposite, took a slurp of tea, before politely placing it back down on its saucer, peering over the cook with plain curiosity rather than concern.

However, before anyone could speak, Sanji had already dived into his spiel of self-pity. "It's useless! I can't even get a word in with her while that Marimo-bastard's around!" He pounded a fist down, causing the tea from Brook's cup to splash ceremoniously onto the table. "I can't even serve her tea without being plainly pushed aside for that – that-!" He stopped in order to think of a suitable name. As it seemed he couldn't find one imaginative enough and he slumped back into his rumpled heap with a defeated groan.

Robin, who had been in the kitchen, carried herself to the table along with her own beverage (a specially made fat-free slimming and divine concoction, specially made by Sanji of course) to weave her magic. "She still appreciates your cooking, it seems?" she commented, with a glance to the emptied tray in the cook's shaking hands. "It certainly can't be as bad as you think."

"No! No!" whimpered Sanji in further devastation, waving the tray above his head to explain himself. "It was all stolen by all the other shit-heads before I could even get close to giving it to her!"

Brook simply blankly looked on, which was, to be fair, the only natural expression he could maintain. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, those afternoon snacks were divine!"

"It doesn't!" Sanji almost roared, causing Brook to tumble backwards in a daze of his usual jolly laughter. The cook took a strained breath before continuing. "It just, doesn't make sense! It's almost as if she likes that green sword-freak...over..." He struggled to finish, voice cracking slightly with effort, "...over...ME!" He slumped again, fists slamming freely against the table to a nonsensical rhythm of despair. "How's that _possible_?"

Robin offered him a consoling smile. "I'm sure that's not the case."

"Then why does HE get to be the slave?" rasped Sanji, eyes looking mad with grief.

"Wasn't that the medical treatment ordered by Dr. Chopper?" said Brook, climbing back to his seat, as jovial as ever. "If it's the recommendation of our doctor, then surely-"

"How can anyone think that that moron could be good company for _anybody_?"

"It has, at least, allowed them opportunity to grow used to each other," acknowledged Robin, sipping her own drink carefully so as not to be spilled by Sanji's crazed thumping. "Since, this may well be a long-term problem, it's vital for those two – _especially_ those two – to start cooperating."

"Robin-chan!" cried Sanji, looking as if she had mentioned something taboo. "It's the _Marimo_!"

"Yes, it is Zoro," confirmed Robin patiently. "Who makes an excellent foil for our passionate navigator, wouldn't you agree?"

The ship's cook seemed completely dumbfounded at the historian's words, a deep frown engraved on his brow. "Foil?"

Brook straightened up almost at once, eye-sockets bulging. "Robin-san...Are you suggesting that Zoro-san and Nami-san rather _compliment_ each other?"

"Are you insane?" bellowed Sanji at the skeleton, throwing a compulsive kick in his shipmate's direction. "Of course that's not what she's saying! That kelp-moron couldn't compliment a doorknob if he tried!"

Brooke, who had barely dodged the attack, decided wisely to shift to the opposite end of the table, swigging his tea in gulps in fear of it disappearing further in the chaos.

Robin smiled."That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

With a crash, Sanji fell from his chair. "I-IT IS?"

"Moreover, they both display similar personality traits, which is also what probably fuels most of their arguments," continued Robin with light amusement at her fellow crew member's reaction. "If they are forced to face these traits, in other words, their own traits, then there may be positive outcome that benefits all of us."

Pulling himself slowly to his feet, Sanji tried to absorb this. Zoro complimenting Nami? Ridiculous. However, somehow, Robin's explanation struck some truth inside of him, and he suddenly felt nauseous at the idea that what had been said may have actually been justifiable.

Brook, on the other hand, seemed absolutely thrilled by the idea. "Yohohoho! I've never thought about it in that way before! Fantastic! Facing their own personality flaws – what an idea! And here I thought that having those to together would be an absolute disa-" A sudden yell followed by a crash from outside, caused his praise to be cut short. After a few seconds of pause, he turned himself gravely back to the historian. "But...Robin-san...are you absolutely _positive_ this will work?"

"Not at all," Robin replied with another mysterious smile. "Ultimately it's up to them." Finishing her beverage and graciously thanking Sanji, she stood up, leaving them to muse upon the insight on their lonesome.

* * *

Sanji felt ill as he stalked from the kitchen area. Nami-san...being corrupted by that no-class seaweed-head? He couldn't stomach it. _But that could never happen, right?_ Unconsciously quickening his pace, he found himself trudging towards the manderine grove. He peered up hopefully to glimpse the kitchen roof for any sign of his red angel, only to see the vibrant green tops of his angel's beloved trees. He could hear their voices, the loud, even conversational bickering audible for anyone in the vicinity.

For some reason, this made him panic. Illogical reasoning took auto-pilot in his brain and the urgency to the see the navigator became immediate, so much so that before he knew it, he was racing towards the location at full pace, earning rather strange glances from the remaining crew members outside.

He just needed a peek – a glance – at the two to set his mind at ease. _Not that there would anything to ease my mind of_, Sanji quickly reminded himself. Despite himself, an image of Zoro in shining armour heroically brandishing a sword, with Nami curled around his waist in medieval costume began to form in his mind.

It vanished as he heard the name of the swordsman shrieked unmistakably by his prized navigator.

Grinding the cigarette between his teeth, Sanji's face contorted into a deadly grimace. _That Marimo bastard...!_

Scaling the ladder onto the third floor he practically dove onto the deck, skidding to a halt and retracting in a practiced pose which he reserved only for damsel in distress.

"Nami-san! Don't worry! I won't let that shit-head lay a single finger on yo...ou..." His flamboyant exclamation was reduced to an inaudible gurgle as he rested his eyes upon the scene before him.

Standing in the middle of the brilliant forest of leaves, as picturesque as a painting on a wall, was Zoro holding, or what could be described more like cradling in the cook's warped point of view, Nami in a way which could not be denied as out of the norm. Sanji gulped, his shaking knees threatening to give in. It was impossible. Only _he_ was allowed to hold her like that. In fact, it was almost exactly as he had envisioned their honeymoon pictures to resemble.

"N-Nami-san?" He could barely croak the name.

"It's the love-dork again," grunted Zoro, looking extremely grouchy. He hardly seemed to notice that it was a girl he was holding.

Arms securely wrapped around the swordman's shoulders, Nami strained a look over her shoulder. "Sanji-kun?" She wriggled slightly, in order to get a better view. "I told you that you don't have to help."

The cook found himself unable to think. His face had paled to a gray pasty colour and felt as though a simple breeze could have knocked him over. "T-The M-marimo..." His eyes darted helplessly from one figure to the other. "B-but...how could he...?"

Zoro and Nami exchanged glances.

"Is he okay?" mumbled Nami with a slight frown.

Zoro shrugged. "Looks like he finally cracked. It was only a matter of time, really." He lowered his roommate speedily, in order to avoid the to the head that was certain to follow.

"Moron," was the resulting punch-less retort before Nami was hobbling towards the shaken man, slightly unnerved herself. She stopped cautiously a few steps away, leaning on the rail for support. Although her leg had improved significantly, although she was still very wary about putting pressure on it. "Sanji-kun? Is something wrong?"

Behind, Zoro grumbled as he collected the stray manderines on deck which had rolled from the collecting basket next to his feet. "He's probably just finally realised that his wanted poster picture does him justice."

"Zoro!" hissed Nami, shooting him a demonic glare. She turned back to the cook, her patience worn slightly as she put her hands on her hips. "What is it? Was there something in the newspapers?" Her face dropped suddenly. "Don't tell me we have new bounties already...?"

Sanji didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the green-haired man in the background, shocked disbelief plastering his face.

"Did you do something to him?" demanded Nami, whipping around to the swordsman accusingly. "You did didn't you? How many times have I told you two not to-!"

"You're not blaming me for this," snarled Zoro, rising defensively. "It's not my fault he's a whacko!"

"Then what else could make him like this? Hmmm?" Nami shook the person in question to demonstrate. Sanji's head bobbed feebly with the movement. "He's gone into a mental lock-down!"

"Probably better for everyone," mumbled Zoro, earning another piercing glare.

"It's not funny, Zoro!"

With a deflated expression he reluctantly stepped towards them, taking one of his sheaths to crack Sanji over the head with it. To his great disappointment he was stopped in mid swing by the woman beside him.

"Are you insane?" exclaimed Nami, grabbing the weapon from him and threatening to throw it over the rail's side. "What, do you want to kill him?"

Zoro tactfully decided to remain silent, relieved as the red-head moved on to shaking the chef again.

"Sanji-kun! What was it you saw? Marines? Sanji-kun!" It was clear that she was losing her patience, the shaking was becoming increasingly violent with every throttle. "Wake-up! Is Luffy raiding the fridge again? Is it Kuma? He's still after us, isn't he? Sanji-kun! Hey! Sanji-kun! _Sanji_!" The interrogation came to a ceremonious finish as Nami decided that force was indeed necessary after all, leaving her victim in a rather spectacular crater-like hole as she stepped back from the scene, huffing.

"Well, if he wasn't before, he's definitely dead now," commented the swordsman unhelpfully, poking the remains of his rival with the end of a sheathed katana.

Nami gave him a sharp look.

"What?"

It took both of them surprise as Sanji shuddered slightly in the pile of rubble, before dragging himself to his feet as if nothing had happened. With a last, single vengeful glance directed at Zoro, Sanji stalked silently away, fists clenched as he stiffly escaped their sights.

Frowning, the navigator turned expectantly towards Zoro for an explanation, but the swordsman had little more to offer on the situation than she had herself.

"What was that all about?" grumbled Zoro, mood soured. "If he wanted to fight then he should have just said something, the dumbass." He scraped up the basket which was now filled to the brim with manderines and shoved it roughly at Nami.

"That coming from you?" was the curt reply, as she slung it over her arm, reaching the other out to him habitually.

Zoro squatted, allowing her to climb onto him and scooped her up with a few routine complaints. He had abhorred this practice on the first few days of the 'treatment', but had soon realised piggybacky-ing the navigator was one of his more forgiving duties.

"You know, if I hadn't prevented Sanji-kun from coming to help out earlier, you two would have been at each other like rabid dogs," continued Nami with an exhausted sigh. "I wonder why Chopper still hasn't formulated that pill that works on morons he promised...it would make life aboard this ship so much easier."

The swordsman seemed to be ignoring her for the most part he shuttled them both back to their sleeping quarters. Although he was still perfecting it, he had learned for the most part when to tune in and tune out of conversation with the navigator which was probably why their number of arguments had noticeably lessened in the past few days.

Nami either did not to notice, or did not care, as she carried on talking without acknowledgment from her companion., rummaging through her straw basket with a look of disapproval. "After a full hour of work, this is hardly filled! You'd think with two people, there'd be at least three baskets full after all that!"

"That's because you insisted on only getting the ones on the top," Zoro reminded her bitterly, "_while_ doing your stupid balancing act on my shoulders...Even though if I could have used my swords it would only taken secons...! What the hell is with all the hand-picking crap anyway? It doesn't matter as long as we get the fruit right?"

"Of course it matters! I told you already; my manderine trees need love and nurturing care to grow! You can't just hack at them any old way! As if I'd let you near my trees with those things – you'd mutilate them!"

At this, Zoro scowled, muttering something that sounded very unsavory under his breath.

Nami, unsatisfied with his reaction, plowed on."It was close enough when you almost dropped me at the end! They could have fallen everywhere! It's a good thing that I can catch. Unlike _some_ people. "

"Just be grateful I caught you," said Zoro testily. "Maybe it would've been better if I'd just let you fall, though."

This time it was Nami's turn to scowl. She suppressed the growing urge to hit him, simply for the sake of energy conservation, and jerked his ear back instead, earning a yelp of pain. "I advise you to reconsider. Oh – and if you're trying to find our room, it's the _other_ way."

It was impossible for either party to cease their natural urge to quarrel, although they managed to return to Nami (and temporarily Zoro's) room without any major ramifications, Luffy and Usopp, who were playing 'kick the cyborg' on the lawn with Franky, hardly even noticing as the pair worked their way about the ship on the navigator's direction.

"How did you even manage not to wander off until now?" Nami exclaimed in exasperation as she crumpled into her desk chair. It had taken a whole thirty minutes to reach their doorstep, even under her own guidance. "I mean, it's a miracle that you even survived this long with your sense of direction! You can't even navigate your way off your own ship!"

With a indignant huff, Zoro collected his katana and stretched them out on his bed, determinedly examining every detail for scratches, to the point of senselessness, in order to demonstrate his lack of interest on the subject.

Rolling her eyes, Nami separated the papers scattered on the desk's wooden surface, giving up her one-sided argument. Her maps. A slight shiver of joy passed through her as she smoothed the edges of them. Her map-making had become altogether neglected since the recent 'incident', and having been far too distracted recently due to a certain brainless idiot, the past few days she hadn't managed anything even minutely productive at all.

It was therefore, with a sigh of relief that she picked up her pencil to sketch the topographic details of the last island visited and of great annoyance when an all too-familiar rumbling began polluting the air. It was the one thing that Nami insisted she could never get accustomed to, even after spending a century with the swordsman – his ridiculously loud snoring.

Already flustered and tired, she practically threw herself from her desk at the figure on the bed, swatting at him angrily when he barely reacted to her calls for silence.

"OW!" Rubbing his now reddened cheek, he propped himself up on his elbows, face contorted into an expression of terrible hostility. She knew how he hated being woken up in the middle of a nap. It was just asking for trouble. "Do you mind, woman?"

"Yes! Could you stop snoring?" shouted Nami, snatching up his pillow to pummel him over the head. "It's like a foghorn! How am I supposed to concentrate with something like that in the background?"

Mood plunging dangerously, Zoro caught the pillow in mid-air, returning it with a lefty throw of his own, straightening up considerably to relay his angry retort. "When you've had me running around deck like a pageboy all day long, what do you expect?"

The pillow had hit its mark straight in the mouth of the red-headed girl, almost knocking her to the floor. This made Zoro feel guilty – until the moment she removed the cushion from her face. It was the frenzied glint in her eye that told him that he wasn't going to leave without a fight. Nami, literally flinging herself onto the swordsman, injured leg forgotten, shoved the pillow back at him at full force. Despite having almost twice her body mass, the swordsman was blown from his sitting position, flat on the bed, the navigator pinning him with his own pillow, spitting her words like bullets. "Just what exactly are you trying to _say_, Zoro?"

Zoro's eyes narrowed. He was sick and tired of playing nice. "What do you _think_?" He raised his own pillow threateningly.

"You wouldn't dar—OOF!" Nami felt the cushiony blow propel her from her position of control as he swiped at her. She looked up, eyes glowing through a tangle of matted red hair, rage pulsing through every feature.

It had passed the point of no return. This was _war_.

Pillows began airborne missiles, shoes, bras and hairbrushes also included on Nami's half. Shouts and yells of triumph and hysteria filled the air as the need to retaliate became increasingly urgent. It was a miracle that the sound was contained in the tiny pine room – it was as if a bomb had gone off.

In ten minutes, the cause of the squabble had been completely forgotten. Zoro peeled a piece of lingerie (which had only recently joined the crossfire) off of his shoulder, as he chucked a sausage pillow at his opponent, a grin lighting his face as it hit its target.

"That was dirty!" shrieked Nami, who retaliated with a nearby boot she had spotted on the floor.

"Try aiming next time," said the swordsman as the shoe sailed harmlessly passed his shoulder without so much as a scratch.

Both were out of breath, and it was with grim determination that Nami seized another pillow and rushed at her opponent. She knew she had mowed down her opponent this time, as both were suddenly rolling in chaos onto the boarded floor in a confusion of flailing limbs, reminding her disturbingly of their slip in the bathhouse.

Zoro had been winded, and he was only aware of the dull thud of a body hitting the ground, before he realised his entire body was aching.

The navigator was fiercely aware of the throbbing pain in her ankle, although her landing had been somewhat softer than she had anticipated. It occurred to her that what she landed on must have been her vexing roommate again, although even after discovering this she made no attempt in moving. In a heaving lump, they both lay there, the sounds of heavy breaths filling the room.

"Your smell." Although the odour of Zoro's sweaty unwashed shirt (and Zoro full stop) was quite compelling, it hadn't been the first thing to cross Nami's mind.

"Yeah." Neither did it occur to the swordsman that he was agreeing.

Both were far too distracted by the situation before them to notice anything else.

Somehow, in their crazy tumbling, they had kissed. Well, apparently. From the fact that their lips were barely an inch from each other's it could simply be assumed.

It was more than strange as they lay there in awkward silence, Nami's cheeks warmed by Zoro's breath, the swordsman's face fanned by the navigator. Nami was suddenly very aware of how much body contact was being shared between them. And even more aware of the fact that her crewmate, who she had become so accustomed to sharing her own room with, was a _man_.

Zoro must have been thinking along similar lines, as he abruptly sat up, as if he had discovered something extremely disturbing, before giving Nami a long, solid, searching stare.

Cheeks flaring, the navigator felt strangely vulnerable. It was a shock remembering what kind of people her crew really consisted of. Those who she had grown so close to; Luffy, Sanji...even Robin, were more powerful than many pirate groups together, and when fighting, could be more dangerous than an army. Including Zoro. _Especially_ Zoro.

"You okay?"

Nami was torn from her imaginings by her comrade's familiar voice. "Huh?"

"You're ankle..." Zoro didn't seem to want to budge without an answer.

With a feeble nod, Nami attempted to get to her feet, instead being pulled swiftly upright by the man before her. Slightly shaken by the change in attitude, Nami wobbled back to her bed, wincing slightly as she put pressure on her leg.

"Should I get Chopper?" asked Zoro. He seemed to be in some sort of emotional-lock down. Not a single wrinkle on his face expressed any feeling other than a robotic indifference.

"No, I'm fine," said Nami resiliently. All her witty comebacks which she would have otherwise have used at this , had been shocked clean out of her. Hobbling, she managed to find herself a seat on the bed edge, eyes searching the room frantically for something else to talk about. "When last did you wash that?" She was referring to his old shirt, choosing to revert back to their comfortable banter. Control of some sort always made her feel better.

"Does it matter?" Zoro mumbled, uneager about her chosen topic."Hey, don't get too comfortable sitting around though. It's supposed to be my turn on watch tonight." He squinted towards the window, the sky red and purple with the lowering sun. "I guess it'd be better to grab some grub before we head up."

_Watch? _Nami had never been on one before. She had never had to – it had always been the job of the men on board (excepting those like Luffy who were incapable of watching anything for five seconds) to do watch duty. In fact, she herself had made it that way, arguing on her first night on board that she, as a woman needed her beauty sleep and was therefore unfit to do any 'watch' whatsoever. "Can't anyone else do it? Surely not everyone can be-"

"The pervy cook was on all last week, Robin's up studying, Franky is working on something pn the ship with Usopp, Luffy doesn't have the concentration the count his toes and fingers let alone do an twelve hour night watch and you probably already know that Chopper is off limits until he finishes that new medicine he's been working on."

"What about Brook?"

"Helping Chopper," replied Zoro bluntly. "Apparently whatever he's doing needs two people - don't look at me as if it's my fault."

It seemed like she had no choice. With a sigh Nami nodded again in defeat. "Fine, then. I'll ask Sanji to whip something up." She paused, sniffing. "But, seriously. Do something about that shirt."

Zoro scowled, giving a soft grumble of complaint. _Women._

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_**A/N:**_

_**Heh, heh, they're stubborn goats those two I swear.**_

_**I tried to make it in character...hopefully I've succeeded...**_

_**ANYWAY R&R FOLKS and tell me how you feel!**_

_**(or you can just bash Zoro or Sanji :D Either way, write something amusing)**_


	9. Old Enemies and New Discoveries

Sorry for the hiatus! I just wasn't in the mood to write…and I didn't want to be giving you guys some half-hearted chapter so I stopped…AHAHAAHAHAHA FORGIVE MEEEEEE!

Thanks and sorry to all the dedicated readers who have stuck with me through all this XD

More Zoro x Nami fluff/relationship development in this chapter… COULDN'T RESIST! :D

**Disclaimer: Onepiece is not mine and will never be. This is good.**

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"Look at this," said Sanji, ruffling the newspaper he had opened on the table in front of him to get a better view. The crew had just finished their breakfast and were now scattered about on their favourite parts of the ship with only the more senior members remaining in the kitchen save Brooke who had committed himself to sunbathing recently for vitamin D strengthening boost.

Franky was still at the table, munching away at his own meal after gulping down a litre or so of cola first with Sanji who had seated himself beside, with a steaming black coffee in his reach. Robin and Nami were also present with their own specially made beverages, with the latter making animated conversation to the former about the turn out of her mandarins. Zoro, being forced to be present also, had resigned himself to the corner of the room closest to his roommate, the rope of five metres loosely trailing between them.

It wasn't a compromising position to be in – the fact that he hadn't been required to add to the conversation yet was actually quite a plus – and he secretly took pleasure in the few moments of shut-eye in the mornings, the conversation of his crewmates a reduced to a calming murmur at the back of his head.

However, it was the grave tone of voice that the cook used which called attention, and he cracked open an eye-lid; the conversation had stopped and everyone's head was turned in the chef's direction.

Sanji read aloud from the page with urgency. "'The IONA syndicate – a long time associate of Baroque Works – has been discovered to be linked to the local gang muggings which has become a growing problem for the cities of the Mala Islands.'"

"Mala?" Franky's eyebrows lifted. "That pokey island we were last at?"

"Just keep listening," Sanji insisted and proceeded to read aloud again. "It says: 'Recently, four members of the Western Roses gang have been arrested in Amberston although Marine officials are as yet unwilling to reveal details involving the capture. Leaked information reveals that the offenders were found unconscious before their detainment and rumours of an upcoming gang war sparked by this event has already spread fear around the islands…'"

"Gang wars?" exclaimed Nami, alarmed.

"Amberston?" repeated Franky almost as quickly. "That's near the markets where we restocked, right Swirly?"

Sanji nodded grimly forgetting even to rebuke him for the nickname.

Nami, in realisation, felt suddenly uneasy and exchanged wary glances with the swordsman behind her, who was looking very alert. It had indeed been the very place she had found the dreaded perfume that had imprisoned them in the first place. Resurfacing the topic would almost certainly fire up a fresh argument between them and there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. It had been well over a week now since they had departed and for the last couple of days, it seemed like they were almost getting along – with this new predicament, it would be back to the start for both of them, something that she didn't think she could relive again.

However, Zoro had apparently already forgotten this and was far more concerned with other details. "So basically, the Marines took the credit for the four punks I cut down," he said, almost reflectively. "So they were part of a gang after all…"

"Those guys were part of a gang?" was Nami's immediate response to this and all else was forgotten. She slapped a hand over her mouth and whispered in horrified self-realisation. "And I stole their wallets…"

"_That_ was the reason they were chasing after you?" said Zoro, glaring at her in mixed disbelief and resentment. "Are you serious?"

It seemed the subject wasn't to be avoided after all. Nami sat up defensively, hastily preparing for the ferocious argument to follow but was prevented by Sanji's next question, to the relief of everybody in the room.

"You mean you've met them before, Nami-san?" The blonde was blatantly anxious, despite the event already having passed long ago.

"Yes, well," she answered hesitantly with a side-ways glance at Zoro. "If by 'met' you mean running for my life with them trying to kill me, then yeah."

Zoro mumbled something about 'deserving it' though Sanji's public declaration of his failure as her life-long protector luckily drowned it out.

"IONA," Franky mused, frowning. "I swear I've heard that name before…"

"I'm surprised that the newspaper knew of it," Robin said looking equally thoughtful. "They are extremely secretive – in my time at Baroque Works I had heard of their dealings with Crocodile, though even he had never met an employee face to face. Because of this they have evaded the public eye and the Marines for years but I suppose the collapse of the Baroque Works revealed them as well. I wouldn't be surprised – the underworld took a great blow thanks to all of you." She had mentioned the last sentence with an affectionate tone but it was completely missed from the gravity of the statement.

"So this IONA is even bigger than Baroque Works?" Nami paled at the idea.

"Not perhaps bigger," considered Robin, entirely unaffected. "I don't know much about the organisation but from the little I do, it is completely separate to Baroque Works in structure as well as purpose."

This did little to ease Nami's worry and instead worsened it, more colour leaking from her already pallid complexion.

"How's that?" asked Franky, who was engrossed by the information, having served as the leader of a street gang himself.

"They're an assassination group," explained Robin, "but to be accepted into their ranks means life servitude."

"A one way ticket, huh," Sanji grunted. "Doesn't sound like an underworld syndicate at all."

"There are always other ways out," came Robin with obvious amusement at his sarcasm. "You can join another syndicate, for example."

"Or become a pirate," Franky put in with a boyish grin.

"That too," Robin said, smiling.

"Why are you guys so happy?" cried Nami, who's head had been reeling from the possible problems and future threats from encountering such gangs. "We took out their major business partner in Alabaster! Uncovered them! They were bearing a grudge from the beginning! And now with Zoro taking out part of their crew and with these gang wars about there's no telling-"

"There's no gang war," Zoro cut in bluntly, opinion clearly already set. "It's just because they found those guys were just lying in the street – stupid gossip, that's all."

"But it was unlucky coming across those guys," said Sanji, blowing out another cloud of smoke as he mulled over the situation again. "Nami-san's right – these guys already have something against us from Alabasta. No doubt they'll be stirred up after this."

"What I don't understand is why such an elite organisation would ever have dealings with local thugs," Robin stated, brows furrowed in a frown which didn't quite suit her. "They couldn't have anything to offer of value, I'm sure."

"It's bad news in any case," muttered Franky, who had at length finished his meal and had stood up to brush crumbs off his chest. "We should tell the others and keep a close eye on the news. For all we know those bastards could be waiting at the next island, declaring war."

It was on this solemn note that the group split up to go about their individual activities, except for Nami and Zoro who had no choice but to go together.

The morning was spent almost exclusively in the crow's nest, much to Nami's despair. After an explosive quarrel between them several nights ago, they had eventually agreed, with the gentle encouragement of Robin, to take it in turns to choose how to spend the day. By now, she had learned to bring her navigating charts and books with her to occupy herself during Zoro's long work-out sessions, as well as a nose-peg, which unfortunately didn't entirely block out the powerful sweaty stench of the gym.

Today there was a distinctly awkward air between them though, but not as much as it had been four nights ago, when she and Zoro had somehow kissed in the flurry of pillow-fighting. They had both spoke nothing on the subject since then, but Nami's entire view of her crewmate had become warped; she no longer felt comfortable undressing in front of him as she always had – though she forced herself to anyway to prove to him that nothing had changed; even baths had become a chore, made even more uncomfortable with Zoro continuously having to assist her due to her injured leg.

Conversely, Zoro himself had seemed completely recovered from the incident, as if nothing had ever happened. To this, Nami had no objection and had been perfectly content on living the lie with him which had helped things rapidly return to normal afterwards.

Now though, the familiar awkward tension was back and she found herself unconsciously averting her eyes as Zoro completed his thousandth one-handed thumb press up. He had thrown his shirt carelessly to the side and so the rippling torso muscles in plain sight as he worked. Catching her own behaviour and feeling somewhat humiliated, she made an active effort in looking Zoro's way to stifle any embarrassment felt, so much so that the green-haired head abruptly turned towards her after about ten more press-ups.

"What?" He pulled himself up, grabbing the towel at the rack next to her head and peering down at her with a demanding expression. Apparently all the awkwardness was one sided yet again, as Zoro seemed to have forgotten their earlier spat and had no qualms about conversing with her freely. "Something the matter?" Almost straight away, he glanced to her leg and seeing this reaction Nami shook her head.

"No," she mumbled trying very hard to brush the question off while blushing in self mortification.

Leaning against a weight he had taken from its support, he paused to study her expression. "If you're in pain again, you should tell Chopper," he finally said. "It's annoying for me having to carry you around all the time. Hurry up and heal already."

"I can't exactly help it!" huffed Nami indignantly, though inwardly glad for his mistake. "It's your fault that I'm even injured in the first place!"

To her surprise though, he sat down opposite her, cross-legged, still wiping his face on the towel with a strange expression of gravity. "Where's our next stop?" he asked abruptly, gesturing to the charts that lay scattered around her.

Nami simply looked up at him, completely baffled, before answering the question belatedly. "It's the Grand Line, Zoro – the epitome of unpredictability." As he didn't seem to understand, she spelt it out. "I wouldn't have any idea."

"Didn't you steal some maps off the last island?"

"No," she sniffed. "I told you, I don't steal off villagers– and no – I couldn't get anything from those guys – maybe you noticed I was too busy running for my life," she added after receiving a doubtful look from her companion.

Ignoring the disdain in her tone, Zoro's features hardened in grim deliberation.

"Why?" Nami asked after a moment, watching him apprehensively.

He would have otherwise kept the information to himself, but in the time he had grown used to Nami's company, he felt there was no real need to keep many things from her. "IONA's not going to sit around waiting for us to deal them another blow. More likely, they've already sent people out to spy on us or track down our route." He mused on this while Nami still tried to absorb his words in the sudden turn of topic. "Though, since we don't know who we're dealing with, it's hard to tell."

"What? What do you mean spy on us? You mean they might be following us right now?" Nami was trying to collect herself. "Why didn't you tell us before?" She rose in panic and hurried to the open floor hatch revealing the ladder, but Zoro jerked her back by the shoulder and she nearly toppled backwards.

"Ow! What?"

"There's nothing we can do about it at the moment," he said, turning back to his weights once he was sure Nami wasn't going to attempt to leave again. "We have no way to track their movement and we're relying on the newspaper for information – until we know more we're stuck. 'Sides, I haven't finished my training yet and Chopper made me promise to make you do that therapy stuff again anyway." He seemed as annoyed as he mentioned the last bit and a rigid scowl had set his face, darkening the mood.

"What – now?" cried Nami, giving him a look of shock and displeasure. "He said I'd finished with all that!" She remembered the sessions of physiotherapy advised by their doctor with nothing but embarrassment and deep dislike. Chopper at first had conducted them – mostly putting her through leg weight and manoeuvring exercises – and had then instructed Zoro in the matter, as it was essentially more convenient for both parties, much to Nami's chagrin.

"Hey, I'm only the messenger boy," snapped Zoro, already disgruntled. He clicked his tongue in another show of irritation as he remembered the little reindeer's orders and his own passionate protests against the matter. "He said until you're back to normal you have to do keep it up. Well? Hurry up so we can get it over with already."

Nami didn't bother to hide her unwillingness and her temper took a turn for the worse. Flashing the swordsman a dirty look she dragged her feet over to where he stood and lay down in front. Zoro kneeled and placed his hands about half a metre in the air above her legs. No explanation was required – Nami had done these many times before both with him and with Chopper. Raising her legs upwards to connect her feet with his hands, she let them drop again and repeated.

They did similar exercises for the quads, calves and knees, even though they weren't the affected areas – if they had known Chopper had simply added them for good measure, there would have been an uprising. As it was, however, neither were aware and so they carried out the 50-or so repetitions that were required for each exercise.

Nami was already sweaty and flushed when it came down to the ankle exercises – the other manoeuvres were not strenuous like these were, but they took their toll, especially in the heat of the day. With extra reluctance, the navigator gripped Zoro's shoulders to use as support. Ordinarily she would have used a chair for stability but Zoro had refused to let her touch any of the weight racks and this was her last resort. In turn, her roommate lightly curled his hands around her sides, just under her arms and shoulder-plate, to steady her. Again, when Chopper had told him to do this he had refused point blank, and it had taken coercion of every kind and lots of rolling of the eyes on Nami's part to get him to cooperate.

"Still okay?" Zoro grunted, with as little emotion as possible. Despite every attempt to appear disobliging, he couldn't help but fear the worsening of her injury, knowing that it would just limit his own freedom further and that all fault would fall on him.

"I think so," replied Nami distractedly. She was figuring out the best way to position herself to avoid discomfort – it was exercise she dreaded most as it put a concentrated pressure on the damaged parts of her leg and in turn was extremely taxing. With a deep breath she started, raising her heels as high as possible without pain and lowering them in repetition. At first there it was not difficult, but as she continued, she felt herself quickly tiring and her clutch on Zoro tightened so that soon she was clawing him rather than gripping.

Zoro kept his face stony and apathetic as she struggled, but he managed a gruff encouragement, keeping it relevant and impassive. "Thirty more and it's over. Keep going."

Absorbing this, Nami pressed on, the physical exhaustion now apparent on her face; she did ten more, leg burning terribly.

"Twenty more."

She wearily pushed her heels up and down but when she came to the last five, they were torturous. Completing this sapped every spare drop of energy she had and it all ended with a sudden shock of pain – due to her negligence through fatigue she had pushed herself awkwardly. Collapsing forward, without a care as to what she was doing, she flopped against Zoro, gritting her teeth as she overcame the worst of the aching.

Her roommate had caught her at once, and peered uncertainly down at the limp figure he held in his arms. It seemed that fifty heel ups without a break had been pushing it. Zoro made a mental note to inform Chopper of the result as soon as they were downstairs.

Breathing heavily, Nami rested her head against Zoro's bare shoulder, arms unconsciously curled around his neck. He turned out to be a comfortable support and she didn't bother moving even for pride – her legs felt like they were going to give way at any moment.

Realising the extent of her fatigue, her companion allowed her a few minutes' grace and stared blankly into Nami's mess of auburn locks, wondering how the hell they had got into this sort of situation again.

"If Chopper makes me do that ever again," she mumbled obstinately into his chest finally, "I will personally remove his antlers."

"Sounds fair," said Zoro with a smirk of amusement. Even after being completely drained, she was still able to threaten.

It was strange to pull away from him, Nami discovered. She had felt completely at home in the comfort of Zoro's embrace – even if it was just so that she didn't fall – and having finally grown used to his 24 hour presence, it was almost natural to have him so close even if it resurfaced many awkward memories. Zoro didn't seem to be bothered by the intimacy either: it seemed he had grown accustomed to it even before realising.

With this startling new discovery to think about, Nami sat down with her mind preoccupied and found that she had progressed no further with her map-charting by the end of the training session.

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**Author's note:**

So…that's it. Anticlimactic huh?  
Nami should hurry up and heal…eheheh…  
Well the plot is just starting to thicken. I wonder if I'll ever finish this…:U

I always love reading your comments so blast away!


	10. Back to Square One

UPDAAAATE! BOOYAH.

So this chapter is basically more of Zoro and Nami fighting – since that's what they do best XD lol

They have reverted to their roots! What will this do to their hastily blossoming relationship? Dun dun DUHHHH! If you must know…read on…

**P.S Shout out to all those affected by the Japan earthquakes (11/3/11)! You're not alone!**

_WARNING: for the sensitive types, there is a little bit of swearing when Sanji and Zoro scuffle…coz they BADASS. Oh yeah._

**Disclaimer: I will never be the owner of One Piece. Sadly. :O**

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"We're being followed?" Chopper and Usopp's eyes literally bulged from their sockets from the new piece of information, and if Brooke had any eyes to goggle with, he would have certainly been doing it now.

"Ehhhhh? Then we're all in grave danger?" The skeleton's jaw was chattering quite distractingly and Zoro found it difficult having to repeat himself over the noise.

"_CALM DOWN_," the swordsman bellowed, rattling the ship's frame and causing a thin silence to spread among the four crew members before him. Luffy, who was also present, was unusually silent – by the star-studded look in his eyes he was apparently too excited to speak. "When you all stop acting like a bunch of clowns, we'll explain."

Usopp, who looked like somebody who'd had just heard the world was on the brink of destruction, swallowed the cry of terror he had been about to break loose. "B-bu—B-But you just said – the assassins…" he croaked shakily, though gave up mid-sentence, too distraught to finish.

"It's a possibility," clarified Robin, who had accompanied both the swordsman and navigator to help reveal the news. "We _may_ have people tracking us – though, as has been said before, it's just speculation."

Nami wasn't surprised when Usopp's face still drooped more; the reassuring speech that she had expected Robin to make didn't exactly win her over either.

"But we've got the advantage of knowing this before hand," she added in a slightly pathetic attempt at optimism. "If they do come, we'll be alert and ready – right?" She glared ferociously at Zoro standing next to her, trying to get him to say something nice, but it seemed he completely missed the point with his next response:

"You'd hope so. But if they're the kind of people Robin's been making them up to be, they'll probably strike at a time we're least expecting it, even if we think we're ready." He eyed all four members with a sobering expression and all but Luffy seemed to shrivel in his presence. "The point is, we can't let our guard down. Just keep that in mind from now on."

Suppressing the urge to hit him, Nami simply trod pointedly on his foot with her high heel, causing him to turn a quaint shade of blue, then red, before swinging his head towards her looking irate.

"What he _means_ is that we'll be fine if we just keep an eye out for anything unusual," pressed Nami with a sort of chilling positivity and ended with glaring down her partner and dragging him off to the side.

Zoro beat her to the mark, annoyance blatantly obvious. "What the hell was _that_? You might as well have skewered my foot, crazy bi—"

"That's _my_ line!" hissed Nami, looking wild with her animated gestures and expression of extreme resent. "All you and Robin have been doing is making them paranoid! It's all we're going to hear about for the next month until they find something else to obsess over!"

"Good," grunted Zoro rather triumphantly to Nami's frustration. "It means that whenever these guys come they'll spot them, no trouble."

"No! No! It means that those three will be constantly nagging _me_ for log-pose readings every five seconds until we reach the safety of the island!"

"But the island's _not_ safe."

"I know - exactly!" Nami slapped a hand to her head with a groan. "Okay, listen. You have to try a little something called compassion. If you bombard them with all these crazy ideas they'll be rocking themselves to sleep every night! I don't need them even more mentally unstable than they already are!"

Zoro snorted. "Compassion? That coming from the woman who charged 300% for borrowed money that wasn't even _used_?"

Nami eyes flashed dangerously. "How was _I_ to know you couldn't understand even the simplest of contracts?"

"The hell kind of a contract is that? I didn't even spend a single-!"

"Is something the matter?" Robin had drifted over at the sound of rising voices and now eyed the quarrelling pair with a stern but patient look.

Taking a sweep around, Nami realised that Luffy, Brooke, Usopp and Chopper had already relocated themselves to a safe distance from herself and her roommate. Further aggravated by this, she turned on the historian, scowling angrily. "You too, Robin! You can't just go around telling everyone they're about to be killed by bloodthirsty contract killers! Anyway, I thought that the possibility of them actually following was slim – right?" She whipped round to Zoro in confirmation. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Yeah, to shut you up," he muttered irritably, folding his arms in a display of disgruntlement. "How the hell am I supposed to get any shut-eye with you whining in the background about being butchered in your sleep?"

"Wha—You-?" Unable to utter a comeback for once, Nami simply stared at him in open disgust.

"I think that's enough you two," said Robin with an unnervingly even tone and taking a long judging look at each individual. "At least Captain-san and the others are aware now of what we are dealing with – that was our main purpose, was it not?"

Nami couldn't bring herself to agree out loud and so resorted to examining the backs of her hands in a reluctant, guilty sort of manner, feeling horribly defeated under Robin's unwavering gaze.

"Yeah, well," said Zoro, "whether they take it seriously or not is the main problem." Unlike the navigator, he was not so flustered as to not offer a sensible reply. This was extremely vexing to Nami, who couldn't understand how or why he could do this; the notion that Zoro was behaving more mature than herself was virtually unimaginable.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," said Nami in an effort to contribute.

Robin smiled. "Yes, I agree; if anything I believe they'll remember the warning for the rest of our journey. Also, Zoro," she added turning to the person in reference, "I was meaning to talk more in depth to you about the capabilities of the IONA company but it seems we ran out of time this morning – perhaps tomorrow I can give you the details?"

"Or you could tell me now."

"Or we can talk later when everyone is a little calmer?" said Robin, passing a pointed look between the pair. "It would be far more useful to discuss it in front of the other crew members in any case – I'm sure Franky and Sanji especially would appreciate the extra information as well."

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F-I-V-E-M-E-T-R-E-R-A-D-I-U-S

Zoro's deep dissatisfaction at Robin's frank reply had affected his mood, and Nami found herself equally annoyed at her friend for putting her in the situation of having to deal with it.

On top of it, the temperature had unexpectedly soared around ten-thirtyish into a scorching hot day and everyone but Zoro and Nami were able to clamber over the side and into the ocean to cool themselves off.

"I don't think you should swim today, just in case," concluded Chopper after hearing the story of the training session. In his human-form he was examining Nami's outstretched injured leg on the grass with a strange seriousness that contrasted against his usual exuberant child-like nature.

"And you still want me to keep going with the physiotherapy?" said Nami, looking somewhat frustrated at the answer.

Zoro leant against the railing a few metres away, listening quietly despite his expression of bored indifference.

"It's the fastest way you'll recover," insisted Chopper in his sternest voice. "It's working well already – you just have to be careful not fall awkwardly. Make sure you're holding her properly as well," he added, passing a look to Zoro. "It's important that there is someone always watching to make sure everything is going smoothly. But I'm glad you told me what happened – it'll give me some idea of how her recovery is going."

Once he had helped the navigator to her feet, the reindeer shrank to his default size, voice once again squeaky. "It's hot but you shouldn't swim at least until tomorrow or you might just make things worse by stressing out the ligament."

With a deep sigh of disappointment, Nami nodded miserably. "But everything will be better in a few more days, right?"

"If you keep up the physiotherapy and nothing else happens then yes," answered Chopper, trying to sound encouraging.

"And if you stop complaining," said Zoro almost automatically, receiving a piercing glare from Nami in reply. "So, you going in or not?" he asked, noticing that Chopper was now shifting uncomfortably in the heat.

With a guilty look like a child who had been caught doing something naughty, Chopper shook his head violently. "I can't – I have to keep working on your medicine-"

"Hurry up and get lost already," growled Zoro, who just by looking at the furry doctor was starting to sweat himself.

Chopper took a glance at Nami, who he saw was already nodding gloomily in consent. "Really?" Face lighting up with joy, he thanked both crew members profusely before happily bouncing away to find himself spare pair of floaties so that he could join the others.

"You could have just not said anything," muttered Nami, dragging herself over to sit in Zoro's shadow, out of the sun. "We could already be cooling off in the water by now!"

"And make me lose out on two weeks more training just because you pulled a muscle again? Yeah – no."

Nami did not even make the effort to scowl at this, let alone come up with a retort, and instead simply slumped unhappily against the railing, watching as Chopper dove in with his numerous buoyancy devices and was soon splashing and laughing with the others.

Seeing this, Zoro couldn't help but feel slightly bad for her and softened his tone slightly in a half-hearted attempt to cheer her up. "He said tomorrow, right? Just go in then. No big deal."

Nami barely acknowledged the comment, seeming too caught up dwelling on her own gloomy thoughts to answer. "I hate this," she finally mumbled, though it was barely audible even to Zoro who was standing right next to her. "I hate being injured."

Zoro just raised an eyebrow, caught between amusement and surprise. "I think that's the _point_."

"No! You don't understand!" exclaimed Nami, straightening suddenly and looking both vexed and distressed at his lack of empathy. "I thought at least being injured would give me some leverage in this stupid situation – but no! It turns out I'm worse off than if I had no leverage at all! Manipulating _you_ isn't fun anymore and if I can't do the things I want to do, then what's the point anyway!" She collapsed back onto the railing, her face sagging in despair. "Now I just wish none of this ever happened!"

Next to her, the swordsman's face had flitted in and out of expressions at the confession from frowning indifference to shock, then indignation and now was finally fixed in a rather dramatic look of repulsion as all remaining sympathy for the navigator evaporated at her last words. _Of all the twisted, selfish…!_ _Leverage? Manipulation? Was that all it was? _"Well, what the hell did you expect?" he growled in reply, tone strikingly dark.

Nami snapped her head up, looking taken aback at his manner. "Excuse me?"

"Getting injured isn't supposed to be a holiday!" Zoro went on, unable to stop himself – he was too angry. "People don't get injured for fun, Nami! It's not an advantage! If you think you're the only one who suffers, take another look around! It's us – all the people who have to look after your sorry ass –who get the worst deal! Do you think I want to be stuck doing your damn phys-ed exercises-"

"Physiotherapy," was the quiet correction, though Nami didn't dare interrupt him further.

"Physiotherapy! Whatever!" he boomed, causing the navigator to flinch. "The point is, I could be putting in ten times the effort and getting ten times the training in the time that you're complaining five minutes into your own training session - one that a doctor _recommended_ to you – that you want the day off because you broke a sweat. The hell do you think you are?"

At this point, Nami had paled slightly and there was an intense silence which filled the air. Nobody was splashing anymore, all attention drawn to Zoro's raging presence.

"And then you go and say that you hate injuries because you're bored of using everyone around you and now you actually have to work for once. You gotta be kidding me." He clenched his jaw shut, tempted to continue his rant, but thinking the better of it – it seemed his message had already sunk through.

The woman before him was clearly shaken, and was staring up at him with wide, familiarly fearful eyes. Like how his opponents looked just before he took his killing slice. But there was no room in his heart for any compassion – the fact that she had openly admitted that she had used him only fuelled his anger further.

Too disgusted to even look at her, he turned away, his brow set in a deep and steely, unforgiving frown.

"Oi, Marimo – who the hell do you think you are, saying that to Nami-san?"

Sanji who had appeared out of the kitchen at the ruckus was literally leaping down the stairs towards them, expression livid.

Zoro had a hand was at his katana hold straight away – there would be no messing around if it came to a fight.

However, the cook, once reaching Zoro's vicinity simply brushed passed him – perhaps with unnecessary aggression – to reach the navigator, who he curled an arm around with measured care, checking to see the damage.

"Nami-san? Is the green-bastard upsetting you?"

To this Nami offered no reply, and simply stared blankly off to the side, though her eyes had moistened slightly and all concentration seemed to be focused on controlling that factor. She didn't even resist when Sanji pulled her in for a hug, instead numbly accepting it as she watched Zoro stalk further off, stretching the rope out between them.

Getting next to no response, Sanji turned viciously on Zoro, grinding his cigarette with a ghoulish animosity before grabbing the front of his shirt with great energy. "The hell are you doing, you shit-head, treating women like that?"

"It's none of your business, Cook," Zoro shot back, unsheathing his sword an inch with an eerily soft screech.

"You're making Nami-san unhappy – that's automatically my business."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really."

Sanji had his leg raised threateningly over Zoro's shoulder – in turn Zoro moved his own katana to hover over the blonde's collarbone.

"Whoah, whoah, what's going on?" Usopp had already managed to scramble onboard and tried to squeeze himself between them, avoiding Sanji's leg and Zoro's sword with excessive caution. "Let's talk about this, first! C'mon!"

At the intervention, Nami seemed to snap back to her senses and rushed over (as fast as her leg would allow – which was not very fast) to assist, shoving Zoro backwards – and when that didn't work – coaxing Sanji away. "Don't, Sanji-kun! Stop it!"

"Oi, Zoro! Calm down!" persisted Usopp, literally dragging the swordsman to the side. "It's not worth it!"

After a few more persuasions, Sanji reluctantly agreed to let it go, though protectively stuck beside Nami, still staring daggers at her roommate.

"Just leave it," Nami warned him, though she was silently glad for his company. She had been deeply shocked by Zoro's change of attitude to the point of fear – in fact she dreaded Sanji and Usopp's departure.

"If he ever gives you a cross word about anything, let me know," Sanji muttered, with darting side-glances at the swordsman who was glaring unwaveringly in their direction. "Hear that, you shitty Marimo? If I hear you're making Nami upset again, you're a dead man!"

"Ahh?"

"Don't provoke him!" exclaimed Usopp, who was once again trying to wrestle his crewmate to a safe distance.

"And you're okay?" asked Sanji with a genuine concern, both hands gripping Nami's shoulders as if for confirmation. "I mean, seriously, if there's anything wrong, just let me know and…"

But Nami was already nodding for what seemed like the tenth time in the period of a minute, so he sighed, hiding a worried smile.

"If you're absolutely sure. I have to finish off dinner, so I'll leave it to you, Usopp." He passed one final, threatening look in Zoro's direction before brushing by him quite purposefully and climbing the stairs to the kitchen.

"Ehh? Me?" Usopp said a little shakily, eyes darting fearfully between the two roommates, who were eyeing each other uneasily.

"I'm going inside," Zoro mumbled and was already striding towards the bedroom as he said this, apparently unconcerned that Nami was being yanked into obedience behind him by the rope.

With a final, desperate look at Usopp, Nami stumbled after, stomach unsettled at the thought of spending the rest of the day alone with the swordsman and the repercussions it could possibly bring.

* * *

**A/n:**

Oh no!

I actually planned to get more into this chapter…but it turned out pretty long so…_  
What did I tell you! I proper Nami/Zoro fight again!

Can't say Nami didn't deserve it, though.

**Zoro: Damn straight.**

**Nami: We will never be on speaking terms again, you know that?**

**Me: But the show must go on!**

**Nami: Then it'll go on without me. I quit.**

**Zoro: Suit yourself.**

**Nami: I will**

**Zoro: Good.**

**Nami: Fine.**

***slamming of door***

**Me: What are you doing? You just lost us our romantic lead!**

**Zoro: And that's bad, how…?**

**Me: ….It isn't. Technically I can always get Sanji to fill in instead….**

**Zoro: =_=…...HEY NAMI! WAIT – COME BACK!**

**Me: And so there a resolution.**

**3**


End file.
